


Rough Around The Edges

by xavierh



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-06 01:11:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17335844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xavierh/pseuds/xavierh
Summary: What if Paul was the one who rescued Bella as she cliff dived? What kind of fate would they end up having together? New Moon Rewrite.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

**Chapter 1**.- _An unlikely possibility is still a possibility_.

* * *

After waiting for so long, Bella was ready to jump off the cliff. The breeze had gotten a little bit stronger and colder, but she thought that it wouldn't be a problem if she jumped near the rocky walls of the cliff where she could easily reach the shallow beach. It was also a chance to push for Edward's voice to come out. She wondered if Edward would show up and then she felt somewhat guilty over pushing it so far, even though she couldn't back down at that point anymore. Bella took off her shoes and jacket just in case it became hard to swim. She walked a little further apart from the cliff and gave herself a moment to breathe before running with all her might to the most frightening fall she'd ever seen. It was maybe the cold air getting through her clothes, or the thought of nothingness under her feet, or just the irrational fear of hitting the rocks, but her mind was filled with everything except Edward Cullen, even though it was normally the adrenaline running through her body what pushed him out of the shadows. When her body was leaving the cliff, she heard a raspy voice behind her.

"Fucking leech lover! What do you think you're doing?!"

It was Paul, frowning and running towards her. He took off his shorts while running and transformed mid-air as she fell, somehow managing to grab onto her clothes with his mouth, making Bella feel the humid and warm feeling of Paul's wolf breath against her back. Soon after, they hit the ice-cold water. Bella managed to grab onto Paul's neck and keep her body close enough to his so that she didn't become hypothermic while the guy swam back to the beach still in his wolf form. He carelessly dumped her on the beach, while she still couldn't catch her breath and went away to phase back where no one could see him.

"Are you crazy?!" Paul howled at her as he made his way back to her. "Jacob leaves you alone for ONE MINUTE and you JUMP OFF A CLIFF! GODDAMIT! I wasn't planning on becoming dead meat so soon over just babysitting leech lover over here, but nooooo, you HAD to jump off a fucking cliff!"

Bella just stared at Paul in amusement while he kept rambling on how careless and inconsiderate she was. She was cold to the core but still found the energy to laugh between her chattering teeth. She had missed her chance at hearing Edward, but the guy in front of her was amusing enough to make her feel better at not hearing him.

"Don't fucking laugh! You could've died, which means I could've died because the whole purpose of me coming to get you is that you do not die!" Paul let a grunt out. "What were you thinking? The water just went like a few degrees down and there was a riptide that would've ripped you apart had I not been there to pull you back to the shore."

"Thanks Paul. I wasn't thinking, really." Bella said, out of breath.

She couldn't let him know of her intentions. How fucking crazy did she have to be to jump off a cliff just to hear a voice – a voice that at the end didn't materialize. She took her gaze down and Paul relaxed a bit on her.

"You must be cold."

"Yeah, just a little. I left my jacket and shoes up there."

"At least you're not a complete idiot. I don't carry clothes around, you know? I am not Jacob to give you everything up to my underwear." Paul grunted again and looked at his half naked body. "Great. I will go and get your things and will be right back to take you to the truck,  _don't move._ "

"I know." Bella chuckled. "I'll be here."

Paul looked around the deserted beach before transforming back into a wolf, and in his always-ready-for-anything manner, he rushed back up the cliff to retrieve her things. Bella closed her eyes and imagined herself feeling a little less cold and a little less alone. It was sort of surreal, but just a minute passed when she felt a dry piece of clothing hang from her shoulders.

"Here, leech lover." Paul also laid her shoes next to her. "Ready to go?"

"Whenever y-you are" she mumbled through the cold.

Paul looked at her from head to toe, and before she could even reach for her shoes, he snagged them away and took her off the ground princess style. Bella was so shocked it took her a little while to react to it, but the moment she snapped out of it she complained to the guy. Paul didn't listen all the way until they reached his truck, a Chevrolet Pick-Up that looked very worn down. He placed her inside and slid into the driver's seat himself.

"You know, you were super lucky I got there the moment I did."

"Was I? Really?" Bella laughed between her teeth again.

"Jacob was chasing the problematic redhead, and then she went out of sight, like she just made a sharp turn and kept running like crazy." Paul explained. "She had managed to give me and Quil a couple twirls, but nothing major. Damn it, we were so close to cornering her. Anyway, Jacob kept running behind her and sent the both of us after you, since you know, you are crazy enough to jump off a cliff by yourself when the weather is so bad."

"That sounds like me, not going to lie." She admitted. "Then, where's Quil?"

"Ugh, that mother fucker was running next to my truck when he caught a scent, I think it was some other leech because he just turned around too and left. It wasn't my idea to come pick you up, leech lover."

"I see." Bella mumbled.

She glanced at Paul's profile as he was driving. It was actually very different from anyone Bella had ever seen. Jacob was an enthusiastic driver and would look happy behind a wheel any day. Both herself and Charlie were a little more precautious and sturdy while driving. Paul was so different though – while he kept babbling and complaining, he only seemed annoyed at the day's occurrences and would turn with calm and confidently drive like he was born doing it. And it somehow mesmerized Bella. By the time she realized, they had parked in front of Emily's home.

"Nobody is here right now, so just go in and take a shower. I am sure Emily won't mind you stealing her clothes." Paul said.

"Are you not coming inside?" Bella asked.

"Should I? Are you going to jump off the second floor too?" He made her chuckle. "I will go get some clothes before, don't worry. I just don't want Sam to beat me up if I take his."

Bella nodded with a smile on her face and left the car. He made sure she went into the house before he drove away. On the way home, he thought that he didn't mind Bella as much as everyone thought he did. Yes, of course she was the leech lover, but she took it like a champ all that time and Paul had to give her credit for that. He thought that she was doing something crazy, like trying to die or something. He got really worked up until he saw that little reckless spark in her eyes, one he knew a little too well. He wanted to scold her even more but had no right to do so. He rushed at getting clothes and coming back, worried she would do something reckless again. The moment he stepped into Emily's house, the scent of freshly showered Bella hit his face. She was at the top of the stairs.

"You're back!" Bella said with half a smile. "Do you think it would be a good idea to get going with dinner? Jacob called and they're on their way."

"Y-yeah." He replied, a little out of himself.

They both went into the kitchen and started washing vegetables and taking out whatever they thought would make a pleasant meal.

"You know Paul, I did something stupid today because I thought I could get a piece of myself back if I did it." She started while cutting up tomatoes. "It didn't work at the end, but I realized that I like being here and that today I got some sort of closure… corny, right? But I feel it. Don't tell Jacob how reckless I was though. I am glad it was you and not him." Bella's laugh filled the air and for a second Paul didn't know what to do.

She turned to properly see Paul's face and her hair brushed against his shoulder. Overwhelmed by the sweet smell of it, he dropped a knife. Bella picked it up in the spot and looked at a frozen Paul.

"Are you alright?"

"No." Paul's voice was deeper than usual.

The Quileute didn't even look at Bella before he rushed out of the house. He bumped into the others while they were on their way inside and cared little when he transformed in front of them without any explanation. Quil and Sam were the first ones to react and phase as well, and as Jacob was about to do the same, Sam phased back and with shock written all over him, he took Jacob by the shoulder.

"This is an explicit order, Jacob: Do not shift." Sam then looked at the others and ordered the same. "Do not shift for now, let Quil handle it."

Emily, who was also arriving, approached Sam despite the little commotion. She glanced at Bella, standing on the porch wearing her clothes and a worried look on her face. She pulled Sam aside and asked what was going on.

"I think… Paul imprinted." Sam mumbled.

"Oh god, on who?" Emily asked.

"Bella Swan."

 


	2. Things Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Paul runs away, the pack hears some sad news about Harry Clearwater.

**Chapter 2.-** _Things left unsaid._

* * *

Emily's brain took a second to process and understand what Sam had just said to her. Her eyes went from her fiancé's face to the view of Jacob and Bella confused on her porch. Her heart felt heavy because of Jake and Paul - they were both too young to experience such heartbreak. She could understand it a little and it made her feel helpless. She looked at Sam again and his deep and unwavering eyes confirmed that he was not lying.

"B-but how?" Emily couldn't find an answer in all the legends and rules she knew on imprinting or Quileute wolfs for that matter.

"I would love to know myself." Sam said back.

"Wouldn't it have happened before though? Like when they met or something?" Emily's concern grew by the second.

"Well, it's hard to tell in this case and… well, I don't think there's much more left to do."

"Are you telling Jacob? Is this why you told him not to shift?" Sam ended up look in the direction of Bella, and so did Emily.

"Paul had enough as it is, he doesn't need Jacob throwing fists at him." He pressed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index. "Let's just leave him to cool down."

"Yeah, better."

Sam's phone rang and he reached for it into his pocket, and after excusing himself to Emily he picked up.

"Yes, Billy?"

" _What does he want?"_  Emily whispered.

Billy's voice was way too low for her to grasp at anything being said, but she knew by Sam's face that it wasn't anything good. He hung up the phone with his gaze down.

"Is everything okay?"

"Harry just passed." Sam's gloomy voice said.

" _What?_ " Emily's heart dropped even more, she felt like crying.

"I'll handle this. Wait here."

Sam went to the guys and told them to go home to their families and to be ready to help Leah and Seth in anything they needed. He then hurried to console his crying imprintee. He felt somewhat guilty and resented himself for thinking of Emily's pain before the thought of Leah's even crossed his mind. It was Leah's father who died after all. It wasn't that he hadn't loved her but that Emily was something that he couldn't even explain to himself. That's why he understood Paul's conflict for a bit. He left Emily on the porhc and phased, leaving it to Paul to come back as soon as he thought he was in the right mind to give his condolences, while Quil had perfectly understood what he was to do. He ran through the forest to meet with Sam and come back to Emily's together.

" _Paul phased back_." Quil noticed before they got out of the forest.

" _It's good, it means he's clearing his head. Let him do what he needs to do. He will meet us at the Clearwater's later."_

" _You know… It was weird when Jacob's thoughts were all about Bella, but with Paul…_ " Sam and Quil stopped a little before phasing back.

"His world shifted." Sam said.

"I kind of get it because of you and Emily, but the moment Paul realized it was so much different, like it was still hot in his head." Quil looked at his feet. "I know Jacob is my friend, but after this I can't help to root for Paul…  _it's just so different…._ "

"Let's just not worry about it now, okay?" Sam asked the teen.

When both of them arrived back at Emily's, most of the pack was already gone. It was only Bella and Jacob left on the porch, still worried about Paul - or at least Bella was.

"I will drive you home, Bella." Sam said, much to both of the teenagers' surprise.

"It's okay, Sam." Bella replied, a little intimidated. "Jacob can do it."

"Jacob has to take Emily and Quil to the Clearwater's." Sam looked at Emily with a crooked smile. "Since I am a persona non grata there it would be best if I drove you home… I'm sure Chief Swan would be more calm if you were there while he goes and helps out at Sue's."

"I see, well… I'll go with you then." She half smiled and hugged Jacob before heading towards Sam. Quil was very distant, and although he didn't do it with such intentions, it rubbed off on Bella in the wrong way.

Emily and Quil said their goodbyes to both Bella and Sam, and Jacob just stared off as they left together. It was not that he didn't trust Bella on Sam's hands, but it was almost as if Sam didn't trust him with Bella whatsoever. He quietly followed along as a sobbing Emily and Quil got into her car. He thought of Bella the entire way to the Clearwater's and wondered how he would sneak out.

Most of way to Bella's home, Sam remained quiet. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't good either. Bella wasn't used to the more modern-looking cars and Sam's truck was definitively newer than her good old truck. She wanted to ask what had happened with Paul and if he was okay but feared that Sam would not want to reveal such information to her. After all, she was the leech-lover.

"Paul is alright." He said, when they were almost there. "It wasn't your fault or anything - that he ran out like that, that is."

"You don't have to tell me just to make me feel better, Sam. I'm used to people running away." She said half-jokingly.

"He's not a bad kid… he's just rewiring his mind right now… I'm sure it isn't like that." Sam was struggling to get his point across. "Well, what I mean is that even if he keeps bothering you, it's not a bad thing, alright?"

"Al right." Bella chuckled. "You two kind of remind me of each other."

"Maybe because we're cousins, distant ones, but cousins at last."

"How?" Bella asked.

"Great Grandmother." Sam gave Bella a tiny little smile that kept her happy the rest of the trip.

Once Sam dropped her off, it didn't take long for Charlie to arrive as well. When Charlie walked through the entrance door, he looked tired and sad, but remained put together.

"I found a friend of yours from the reservation on the way here." He said while putting his coat away. "You should tell him to come in before I leave to the hospital to find Sue."

"Who is it?"

"Quil? Or Embry? Billy is bad at describing Jacob's friends." Charlie half smiled and hugged Bella instead. "I'm glad to see you, Bells."

Bella thought they might be on patrol while the others helped around for Harry's funeral. Bella hugged Charlie back.

"I am so sorry about Harry, dad." Bella whispered.

"It's fine, kid. It's fine." He patted Bella's head for a minute before breaking their hug. "I need to get ready for Sue's, so why don't you bring in your friend so I have a better peace of mind when I leave."

"Okay."

While Charlie went upstairs, Bella headed out the front door and took a little turn towards the driveway, and was surprised to see not Quil nor Embry. Leaning against her father's car, Paul Lahote was wearing only shorts and a sweatshirt, looking rather gloomy.

"Paul, what are you doing here?"

"I think, well… I don't  _think_ \- I mean I do…" Paul fidgeted a little. "I came to see you, actually."


	3. Fair Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul shows up at Bella's and some things are shared and things are uncovered.

**Chapter 3.** \- Fair play.

* * *

"Why don't you come inside so we can talk?" Bella said, a little out of herself. "I was about to make some dinner for Charlie, if you want to eat something."

"Well…" Paul looked at her and knew he couldn't make up any excuses at those brown doe eyes. "I wouldn't mind it."

"Good."

Bella walked towards her home hesitantly while thinking of the bizarre image of Paul visiting the Swan Residence. They were awkward and silent for the most part. She offered Paul a seat in the living room couch while she made dinner, but he refused and offered to help instead.

"It's just leftover roasted chicken that I'll make into sandwiches." Bella chuckled and it sounded like music to Paul´s ears. "If you don't mind it of course."

"I am okay with whatever you're having, I am not a picky eater." Paul shrugged his shoulders, to which Bella raised a brow - of course she knew Pau wasn't a picky eater, but she let the opportunity to pick on him pass.

The kitchen went quiet again and only the sound of Charlie showering upstairs made the two of them feel at ease. Bella was nervous because she felt Paul's gaze on her back and was actually scared he had come by to scold her about something or the likes. She stood up to the pack once, but now she understood their struggle and she was constantly afraid of being pushed away once more. For Paul though, the sight of Bella cutting and putting chicken in sandwiches was mesmerizing. Nothing was more interesting or better, and as he felt confused and a little conflicted by his feelings, he didn't really mind his own discomfort but Bella's. When they say that it's not gravity holding you down anymore, but your imprint with something like a thousand metal strings, it isn't cheesy anymore. There's no other way to describe it anymore. Paul didn't notice when Chief Swan made his way downstairs.

"Hello there." Charlie looked at Paul the same way he would have looked at any tall, attractive, and dangerous looking guy that could have visited his daughter. "I don't think I know you."

"Paul Lahote." The young one said, while standing up and putting his hand out to Charlie.

"Nice to meet you, Paul." Charlie said, surprised at how well mannered Paul seemed to be. "I imagine you know Bella through Jacob."

"Yes, Chief." Paul looked at Bella. "She seems to be hanging around with us lately."

"Yeah, that's good." Charlie half-smiled. "Uhm, well, it's nice to see you around and all but I need to go to Sue's." His eyes looked for Bella. "You don't have to come now, I'll let you know when things are settled a little at the hospital."

"Don't you want to have dinner?"

"No… I don't feel like I can right now." Charlie gazed at the ground and with a sad smile he looked at his daughter again. "You should have dinner with Paul, though. I'll call later."

"Okay, see you, dad." Bella said, sad for her father.

"Have a good night, Chief." Paul said.

"You too, Paul."

While Charlie left the house the mood felt heavy. Bella leaned back on the kitchen counter and Paul stared at her from the kitchen entrance, were he had spoken to Charlie. They looked at each other for a split second and Paul sighed.

"I heard about Harry… I'm sorry, I know the Chief i- was a friend of his." Paul felt stupid, but Bella's micro smile made him feel better.

"They were gossiping grandmas, along Billy." Bella took the sandwiches and put them at the table. "I feel bad for Charlie but I'm glad to see he is being helpful. I wish I could be."

"Nobody can be more helpful than him and Billy, I guess." Paul sat down and so did Bella. "Thanks for dinner, by the way."

"No problem." Bella played a little with the edge of her sandwich and looked at Paul, who had already taken a bite. "Why did you come here?"

Paul's eyes became big and his nape burned as he was a little embarassed. He didn't know what to answer without scaring the heck out of Bella.  _I imprinted on you_. That was a simple answer with a complicated outcome.  _I just wanted to_.  _I happened to end up here_.  _Genuinely, I don't know_. All the possible answers seemed horrible. Paul's gaze met Bella's and he felt like giving up and giving everything away, but he refrained just a little. Half a truth would do the trick if he left the imprint out of it.

"When I ran out, my wolf thing was acting up, I didn't know what was happening and if it would be dangerous, so I just left to clear my mind." Paul sighed. "I needed a place to go afterwards and I didn't want the guys to follow me around or ask anything so… I came to the least expected place."

"That makes sense." Bella's laugh filled Paul's chest with happiness once more. "What happened then? Is it gone?"

"Uhm, not really, but it isn't dangerous anymore." Paul put the rest of the sandwich in his mouth before he could say something more.

"I'm glad." Bella smiled. "Do you want mine too? I don't have an appetite right now." She said while she pushed her dinner towards Paul.

He didn't hesitate to say yes and engulfed the other sandwich. He helped Bella with the dishes and followed her to the living room. The mood was a little awkward but it was definitely better than whatever it was before, at any point in time. Bella offered to watch movies or to do anything else, but honestly all Paul wanted to do was to hear her voice.

"Thank you, for taking me in." Paul said, embarrassed. "Even though I was, uh,  _mean_."

"No, don't apologize." Bella's smile seemed more relaxed. "I'll admit that at the beginning it stung a little, like I didn't need you to remind me of  _them_. Everyone was so scared of reminding me that I had been dumped and left alone - not even Charlie or Jacob brought it up directly. But then hearing you guys - you especially - treating me like a person and not as if I am made of glass… well, it made me feel good again. When you came today and rescued me from my apparent death, I felt for the first time that I didn't have to worry about them anymore. It's so much more fun to be an honorary pack member… less unnecessarily complicated, in a way."

Paul remained quiet, trying to absorb as much of it as possible.

"I'm sorry, that was a lot to unpack."

"No, don't worry… Swan." Paul was trying his best not to wrap her around his arms, but he knew it wasn't the way she wanted it. "I guess they messed you up good, huh."

"A little, can you tell?" Her awkward smirk made Paul smile. "You also didn't call me leech-lover! What's up with that? It kinds of freaks me out how nice you are, Lahote" she playfully punched his shoulder. If people fell head over heels, Paul was also hitting walls on his way down.

"You are also being creepy!" Paul laughed. "You even made me dinner."

"Oh, c'mon now!"

Both of them played around for a bit before they fell asleep in the couch. It seemed surreal to Paul once he woke up that Isabella Swan was sleeping next to him and that he didn't mind it one bit. He saw over to the living room clock and realized it was already ten at night, and that Bella probably wouldn't wake up anymore. He gently let her down on the couch and decided to do some leech research around the house. The smell of the disgusting vampires was still around, not more than two or three had been in the house and it mostly went up to Bella's room. Quietly, Paul went upstairs and checked both rooms in the house. Charlie's was intact, but Bella's had a horribly sweet smell that stung all the way to his lungs. All of them were recent, until Paul caught onto one that was not. It was actually way too faint for him to have even realized it, but it somehow left a print on his mind. It came from the wood floor. Paul kneeled down and found a loose part, and as he took it out the smell increased but was still a lot more faint than the others. Inside, pictures, a CD, even flight tickets were there and it all had  _ **leech**_  written all over it.

"Paul? What are you doing?" Bella's voice surprised Paul, who was immersed in his own thoughts.

"I followed a scent…  _leeches…_ they were here, and this one seemed particularly weird, and I ended up finding these." Paul handed the things to Bella, who froze in her place. "I didn't meant to bring out these, I guess you put them away for a reason."

"I didn't though…" Bella's voice was faint but Paul heard her loud and clear. He had fucked up.

"I'm sorry, Swan." Paul was waiting, for tears or screams, but what came after really surprised him.

Bella laughed. She laughed until her tears came out, and even when she was lacking air she kept on laughing. She looked over the things and had a hard time trying to calm herself down.

"I went crazy over this for months, but oh boy, seeing them now…" Bella wiped away tears from her eyes. "This is too much. It's like they like to haunt me or something. Even when I already decided it's not important anymore!" She huffed with a smile, but Paul could feel her hurt through her words. "I wish I knew how to get rid of these."

That made Paul smile.

"Swan, I think I know how to."


	4. Hurt You

"What is it that you're planning, Lahote?" Bella asked as Paul searched her living room for a map of Forks. She was leaning over Paul as he trashed her place.

"Well, since there are many bloodsuckers in the area I can't actually take you anywhere into the deep woods, but I know there's a place around where we can go and do something fun." Paul moved things here and there until he found the map. "HA!"

"Fun like  _what_?" Bella asked, intrigued. Paul looked at her with a crooked smile.

"When I was little, my parents divorced, and my old man brought me to La Push." He said, hoovering his sight over the now fully extended map. "My mom left without any explanation, and before I knew it, she was remarrying. I was young, so I got hurt that she didn't take me with her and my old man was really pissed. He took me on a little camping trip to cheer up. We made a bonfire and burned all her things, I guess it was kind of cathartic for the both of us."

"So, you're taking me up the mountains to burn all these things?" Bella bit her lip, looking at the mementos Paul had found from her time dating Edward. She secretly wanted to ask about his family but felt a little intrusive at the time. "Can't we do it out in the yard then?"

"It makes no sense if you do it where you will see it and remember it." Pail scolded her. "If you do it back in the mountains it will be washed out by the rain… and you also won't have to worry about burning down your house." He laughed, and Bella did too.

"Got it." Bella looked at all the possible places that they could go together, and suddenly, the fact that she was planning a little trip with Paul hit her. "Isn't it weird? A few hours ago, I could've sworn that you hated me. Now we're planning a trip together, to forget about my vampire ex-boyfriend nonetheless."

"If I am being honest, I never really  _hated_  you." Paul sighed before looking at Bella straight in the eyes. "I was annoyed that you didn't see it. When you came looking from Jacob and asked what  _we_  had done it was like the last straw. How could you think that I wanted this for anyone, or myself for that matter? If it wasn't for the Cullens… I would have my same friends, I would be going to school, maybe I would have had a couple girlfriends or whatever, but instead I was stuck hunting leeches and putting myself in danger for nothing."

"I guess I never saw it that way, I'm sorry Paul." Bella's pale skin became paler and her eyes met the ground.

"It's long gone, Swan." He reached out to her, and just naturally patted her head. "Now, help me pick out a spot."

Both of them had a fun time trying to map out a spot far away enough for Paul not to cause a commotion if he had to shift but not that far that it would be easy for any other vampire to attack them. They decided on place that they could reach by means of Bella's truck and a little walking and although it was a little weird for them to be interacting that way, it was working out perfectly. Paul was grumpy enough to fall into similar restriction lines as Bella, so neither had to worry about pushing too much out of the other or disagreeing too much. They threw all the things from underneath the floorboard into a backpack so that they didn't need to worry much about them. Paul liked to have Bella's undivided attention to himself, and Bella liked how Paul wasn't too tender or too pushy. Their late-night project turned into an all-nighter, and when the sun rose they were hardly sleepy but decided to rest just in case.

So, it was a surprise for Jacob to find them asleep in Bella's living room. He had come over to bring her back to La Push, where they could probably hang around Emily's until he was needed at the Clearwater's. He had noticed the smell of a wolf, but had guessed it was Sam's, and no way in hell he would've thought that Paul had spent the night at the Swan Residence. His blood boiled over at seeing him way too close to Bella, although neither was touching each other. He thought of shifting and shredding Paul to little wolf pieces but kept his cool and didn't. That, and that he was still under the order of not shifting until told otherwise.

"Good morning." His loud and deep voice woke up the other Quileute but not his friend.

"Jacob." Paul mumbled. He had completely forgotten about the detail that Jacob entailed in this whole messed up thing.

"What brings you here, Paul?" If stares could kill, Paul would've been dead instantly. Bella woke at the feeling of Paul moving around, which gave him the perfect chance to avoid Jacob's question.

"Jake?"

"Hey, Bells." Jacob didn't hide his annoyance but seemed hardly upset at her.

"Morning…" She was still a little out of it, but still smiled a little and made an effort to put herself together before realizing that Paul Lahote was just asleep next to her when Jake walked in. Her cheeks went bright red. "What brings you here?"

"Charlie guessed that you wouldn't be going to school, so I was asked to bring you to La Push in case he didn't come back home tonight as well." Jacob raised an eyebrow to Paul. "I was thinking we could hang out at Emily's, but I see now that maybe we should make a sleepover over here, what do you think Paul? Was it good?"

Bella grunted as she stood up and pushed Jacob towards the kitchen. His skin had gone a few degrees up and, for the first time, she felt awkward and uncomfortable at touching Jacob. His dark eyes met hers and she could tell how upset he was. It didn't cross her mind how weird it would be for others that she and Paul became friends overnight, especially for Jake. Bella's brain worked hard to come up with an excuse, as fast as Jacob's temper allowed for one. Paul had said that he didn't want any questions asked about the previous night and she wanted to help out with that. She pushed her big friend against a corner where Paul couldn't see them and hopefully couldn't hear them as well.

"It was my fault he ended up here, okay? He was patrolling and I called him over because my window was open, and I freaked out." Bella said, trying not to make an elaborate lie and slide some truths here and there. "He checked the rooms and the house, that's all. He seemed tired, so I let him sleep over."

"That doesn't explain what you were doing down here with him, Bella." Jacob's gaze was heavy on Bella's shoulders. She exhaled to give herself more time to answer.

"I was still scared, okay? I didn't want to be by myself, so I slept on the couch while Paul rested on the floor, I probably fell down in my sleep, you know the klutz I am."

"Why didn't you call me?" Jake seemed hurt and Bella was running out of patience. She didn't want to take a long time in there and make Paul suspicious.

"I just didn't want you to worry too much, Jake. You and Billy are busy at the Clearwater's anyway." Jake huffed and left the kitchen, although he seemed to be in a better humor.

Somehow Bella managed to remain calm enough after that to invite both guys to breakfast. While she was cooking she could feel the eyes of both teens on her back which made her face and neck burn in embarrassment. Because she wasn't sure how hungry they were, she scrambled almost all the eggs she had left with a few sausages and bacon and, scared of that not being enough food for them, she made toast and leftover pop tarts. Jacob was very clean when eating, and Bella knew he was also very conscious of his image whenever she was around, but Paul was the complete opposite. He stuffed his mouth and moaned when he liked something he was eating (right that moment it was a pop tart), and he would rarely clean around his mouth when eating. Bella found that cute and chuckled, although before she would have thought that it was a little over the top for just eating food. Jacob, still cautious, rolled his over when he saw his friend enjoying herself too much at the sight of the other teen wolf. Needless to say, Jacob and Paul ate most of the food, leaving Bella a little bit of eggs and some toast. She suddenly worried about the amount of money Emily spent every time she made a meal for the pack.

"We should get going." Jacob said when he had cleaned his plate. Paul had done the same not much earlier.

"I just need to get a couple things, why don't you guys turn on my truck in the meantime?" Bella reached for her key from the counter and, feeling a little full, she ran upstairs to pack a bag with her stuff.

She took a couple hygiene products, such as some dry shampoo and an extra toothbrush, and for the first time in a long time she threw in a bottle of perfume Renée had given her. She was so used to having vampires that cared a lot about the smell of her blood that she kind of forgot for a while that wolfs were more suceptible to superficial smells. She also packed her calculus books and some notes after she realized that she had a test coming up. She hesitated before picking out her only black dress and shoes and with a sigh she stuffed them into her bag too. When she was leaving the house, the map of forks caught her eye; it was still on the coffee table at the living room, so she quickly grabbed it, folded it, and put it in her back pocket. Jake was already in the driver's seat when she went out. Paul seemed a little out of it while seating in the trunk, and she felt bad that the other guy wasn't traveling in the cabin with them, even if it would be a little too crowded. She just passed by him and went inside instead, while remaining quiet during the drive.

Once in La Push, everyone seemed to be either patrolling or helping figure things out at the funerary home. Emily's home was open to the pack as always, but it was Sam the one who was running things around, as his fiancé was at her cousin's home helping her aunt prepare food for the funeral and sending all the visitors away with the time and place at which the final rites would start. It wasn't hectic, but the mood was definitively heavy and did not allow for anyone to play around. Quil, Embry, Sam and Jared were taking turns with patrolling, and with Jacob too busy helping prepare the funeral and under the strict command of not shifting, Paul decided he would spend his afternoon waiting around with Bella. The last rites wouldn't start until that night time and the wake would last a couple days, so they decided to become productive in the meantime. Paul missed more days of school he could remember, so Bella helped him out in whatever she could, but there was a lot to cover and he would rarely ask for help anyway.

"You should use the second derivate here." Paul pointed out when Bella got stuck in a problem.

They had been working on their own for a little and his deep voice startled her a little. They were sitting next to each other on Emily's kitchen table so Paul just reached to point at the part of the problem she wasn't doing right. Bella glanced at Paul, surprised of how naturally he had answered, and after confirming that it was the right answer her mouth fell open.

"Hey, I skip school a lot, but I used to be a couple grades ahead in math." Paul laughed at Bella's reaction.

"I was just convinced that you would be a bad student type of thing." Bella confessed, with her whole face turning strawberry red.

"I guess I wasn't." Paul shrugged. "Do you need help?"

"Yes!" Bell said, way too enthusiastically.

Paul helped Bella study for a little while more. He was a strict teacher, and sometimes it would take a second for Bella to catch up with his quick thought process, but when she would get really stuck he would concede and give her helpful hints. She felt that the Lahote guy had a lot more to him than she had ever imagined and that he was way too mature for his age, even beyond Jacob's maturity. Bella's eyes kept meeting with Paul's, but it wasn't a tad awkward anymore. While Bella felt a lot more confident for her test, Paul finished a lot of the piled-up homework he hadn't done. After cleaning up, both sat down in the living room and watched open T.V. while making fun of over exaggerated commercials and old soap operas. Their fun didn't last long though, as a growl brought them out of the house. Paul was the first to rush and find Quil putting a shirt and some pants on before approaching the house.

"What happened?" Paul asked.

"Are Jake and Chief Swan around here?" Quil asked back, worried.

"No, why?"

" _ **Goddamnit**_."

"What happened Quil?" Paul asked, noticing that Bella behind him had gotten worked up.

"They aren't at the house, and none of them are picking up their phones…" Quil looked over at Bella. "We traced a new scent over to your house… it's been doing some radius patrols as well, as well as visiting places you go to. We can't approach it too much because we're afraid it will attack the Chief if it senses danger, but it seems to be following him around." Bella gasped, and her hands went into fists. "Do you know where he might be?"

"N-No, he would normally go straight home if he said he would." Bella whispered. Paul trembled and without any notice he shifted in front of Bella and Quil, and before the later could stop him, Paul had ran into the woods, trying to find this new scent.

"Ugh, Paul." Quil sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella, I will fix this, don't worry. You'll dad will be fine, Jake's with him." Quil apologized before phasing. Bella nodded in shock, even though both guys were gone.

When Quil shifted, he was hit by a wave of worry and anger – Paul's worry and anger. Everyone was slightly disappointed at Quil for not stopping him in time, but the pack was already aware of the fact that given how hot-headed Paul was, it was only a matter of time before he jumped to help out his imprentee. Sam talked strategy and positioning and tried to push back Paul's eagerness to attack without a thought. It was five of them against one of them, yes, but they couldn't risk Chief Swan seeing them or the bloodsucker in question.

" _We will protect him, Paul, calm down_." Sam said to the guy before they started to approach their pray.

Unexpectedly, a sixth thought joined the pack.

" _Jacob, why did y-_ " Sam was angry at the younger one for defying him, and concerned he would attack Paul, he pushed his thoughts back as much as possible.

" _Cullen_." The image of Alice Cullen in front of Jacob jumped into everyone's mind. " _Retreat."_

" _Fucking leech_." Paul's mind became flooded with thoughts of Bella and vengeance, and before anyone could stop anything, in a fraction of a second, Jake and Paul were already running towards each other.

" _WHAT THE FUCK PAUL_." Jacob's anger increased by the second _._ " _HOW FUCKING DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!_ "

" _Embry, Quil, stop Paul!_ " Sam ran as fast as he could, trying to surpass Paul. " _Jared, help me out with Jacob! NOW!_ "

Alice Cullen's presence in Forks was pushed to the back of everyone's mind, as the fight between two young wolfs was about to unleash a disaster of even a bigger magnitude.


	5. This Fire

Alice Cullen was surprised to see Jacob Black turn into a wolf. If her heart had a beat, it would have stopped at that very second. She didn't recognize the more mature and grown Jacob at first but figured out who he was by looking back onto the days in which he was still an occurrence in her visions of Bella – he had grown more than a few inches and developed an incredible amount of muscle mass. The wolf ran in the opposite direction after staring her down with his big dark eyes. After making sure that the Black kid wouldn't be coming back, she rushed over to Forks' Police Station, where she had last seen the Chief.

She knew she had been followed and fled after locating Charlie, making sure not to involve him with whatever was after her. She ran into the woods hoping that the creature would come after, planning to finish its life asap. The stench that the creatures left behind was only comparable to that of a street dog that just had a shower in a dumpster, and not being able to see them coming made Alice very frustrated and her moves erratic. Alice couldn't have imagined that Jacob Black was one of them and that in her lifespan she would witness the sight of a werewolf – that until the guy's wolf form almost jumped her. She wondered what his intentions were. At least hers were very clear.

Days earlier, Alice had seen Bella jump off a cliff in a vision of hers. Sometimes she would catch glimpses of Bella's life, and for the past months it was all foggy and glitchy, but after the jump there was nothing. Not a trip to school, not a night of sleep, not breakfast for Charlie. She rushed all the way to Forks, hoping to help contain the situation but had a hard time trying to find Charlie on her own. She followed his scent around town and to the places Bella frequented. Alice finally found the Chief as he made calls and arranged things for the funeral, a little surprised that he would hold it in La Push. Alice knew about the old pact with the Quileute community made many years before by Carlisle, from the times she wasn't even around, and was careful as to not follow Charlie past that distinct line. But what surprised her the most was that he would stir away and check on work while Bella's wake was about to begin.

"I just need you to handle a couple things, Frank." Alice's heightened senses caught onto Chief Swan's conversation. "There have been a few calls about some of these kids, so I want you to look into it for the next week or so; maybe check around the high school and the limits of the town. The college one especially."

Charlie left the station rather quickly, and rather hesitantly Alice approached the grieving man. "Charlie." Her voice startled him. "Hello." Her elfish features formed a crooked smile.

* * *

Jacob's mind was set on beating up Paul Lahote. He felt deeply betrayed and hurt at the pack for hiding the imprint for so long, but he was even more upset at Paul for imprinting on Bella. Even though he knew it wasn't his fault, nor had he wanted it, it was still his pack brother who was tied to the girl he loved for the rest of their lives – and not him. He could replay from Paul's mind the moment it all changed: The moment she brushed against him in Emily's kitchen and it felt like hot iron, the moment every single particle of his body was Bella's and Bella's only. Jacob was burning in jealousy and rage. Over his dead body would Paul Lahote love Bella Swan more than he did. In his mind it was logical that Bella was forever entangled with the silver-haired wolf, but his body and heart ached and suffered from that, and for that, Paul had to pay.

The pack mentality didn't help in the situation, either. It was understood and accepted that now Bella was as much a part of the pack as Emily. It wasn't anymore just some innocent girl on the line, but Paul and the person his life belonged to. Jared was reluctant about letting the whole fight happen. Normally he would leave it to Jacob to beat Paul unconscious, but this one was about Bella and he was sure that Paul could find the strength in him to get Jacob on the floor. Sam and Quil were conflicted but tried hard to keep their cool and push apart the two wolves no matter what. Embry was quieter, but ultimately, he aligned with Paul more than what he wanted to let see. The whole thing was a hotpot of thoughts boiling over onto everyone.

Paul's mind was all over the place. He didn't have a reason to fight Jacob other than Bella. He himself didn't understand why his blood boiled over the thought of Jacob loving her, of him being so close it put him far away. He knew the kind of presence Jacob was in the girl's life and the guy used that to hurt him. Jacob played in his mind his first few days with Bella after that blank period – he showed him the bad and the worse. He also showed him the countless Paul had been mean to her between his teeth, even the ones she hadn't noticed. It was unfair of him, but Jacob pushed everything out there – his desire for Bella, his hurt feeling, his memories of her, everything that could tick off the young wolf.

The four other wolves tried their best but couldn't do much when Jacob and Paul faced each other. Paul was the first one to attack. Jacob being bigger than him easily repelled the blow with his body, although Paul wouldn't give in so easily. Paul jumped him again and the two wolves rolled over, damaging trees and anything near them. Sam tried to push through their thoughts but then again, nothing could break the overwhelming wave of emotions coming from those two. At some point, Jacob was able to push Paul's snout with his paws and tore it, letting blow flow out. Infuriated, Paul was able to push through and clench his teeth into Jacob's middle body. The bigger one growled in pain and gave Sam a window in which he could separate both.

" _Both of you! Stop this before I do it myself._ " Sam's wolf body pushed Paul back and forced him to let go of Jacob. " _If you don't shift this instant, I will make sure you regret this. We don't have time for useless fights._ " Jacob flinched at that last comment. Paul was growling at Jacob, who was now behind Quil, Sam, and Embry. Jared had stood next to him, ready to attack if he decided to step forward. " _Paul, phase back now – it's an order._ " Sam's deep voice broke Paul's concentration. Still frustrated and angry, Paul phased back. After him, Jared, Quil, and Embry did so too. They were silent while putting on clothes, although Jacob's wolf form still crept behind emanating anger, now under Sam's leash.

"We are to leave and get you to look decent." Quil said, looking at Paul's bloody face and wounded arms. "Jacob will stay with Sam."

"You should've let me finish him." Paul mumbled.

"It's not the time, Paul." Jared said, grimly. "C'mon, we'll run so you can calm down a little."

Jared pushed Paul forward and started running through the forest's tricky ground with Embry and Quil soon following suit. Jacob's eyes followed Paul's figure until he was out of sight. As soon as he thought the other Quileute teens weren't around anymore, his body hit the ground. His side was badly hurt and bleeding a lot despite the quick recovery he was doing.

" _It's not fair_." Jacob's eyes met Sam's. " _I help her, I become her friend, I take her out of that stinking place, and in the process, I get my heart broken and she suddenly is Paul's whole world_."

" _Nobody ever said that it was fair_." Sam looked at Jacob's wounds. " _But let me tell you this: Bella is her own person, whether she chooses you or Paul, or none of you, it's up to her_."

" _You didn't let Emily go away, what tells you Paul won't push it too?_ " Jacob sighed.

" _We both know that he's taking a different approach than mine. It's not all the same sometimes, and this time around the wolf in question has a better self-control than a nineteen-year-old who had just phased and knew nothing better_." Sam grimaced, remembering the terrible outcome of his encounter with Emily.

" _I'm sorry._ " Jacob said.

" _I get it, don't worry_." Sam looked to see how the wound was doing, and at the sight of it getting smaller he pushed for Jacob to leave. " _I bet the Chief is looking for you. Where are you supposed to be?_ "

" _His house_." Jacob stood up, feeling a lot better. " _He's waiting for me at the station. I should better hurry before he gets impatient_."

As soon as Jacob's russet fur was out of sight, Sam left to go back to La Push. After finding out about Alice Cullen's return he had to set some boundaries for the pack. They were stepping on shaky ground as long as she was around and that could be no good. Now it was beyond their kindness to help keep Bella safe from that red-headed leech, it was something they owed Paul and the Cullen bloodsucker was only an obstacle in their way. Sam wondered what would happen once Bella Swan found out her little friend paid a visit.


	6. Say You Want Me

"Alice…" Charlie was baffled. "Alice Cullen, is that really you?"

"Yeah, uh, how are you?" Alice's voice was low and soft for the first time.

"I cannot believe this." Charlie approached her and held her happily by the shoulders. "What brings you here, kid?"

"Uh, I had some things to do at Seattle, so I decided to drop by Forks and, well, say hello." Alice's face scrutinized the black suit that Charlie was wearing. "I'm sorry, I heard about the funeral."

"Oh, yeah, thank you." Charlie looked at his watch and looked back at Alice. "Do you want to grab a cup of coffee inside? I was going to wait over here for my ride, but we can go back inside since it's cold out still. I have some time before I have to go back."

"Oh, no, don't go out of your way, Charlie." Alice felt horrible. "I'm just here to give my condolences and ask if you needed anything."

"Everything is okay, Alice." Charlie said with a warm smile. "I didn't know you knew of Harry – did you know his daughter perhaps? Bella's friends with the kids in the reservation, so it makes sense…"

"Excuse me? Harry?" Alice was taken aback as to what Charlie meant. Who was this Harry?

"We're talking about the same Harry, right? Nobody else died in Forks while I was gone, right?" Charlie looked puzzled. "Is everything okay, Alice?"

"Oh." Alice exhaled in disbelief. Did that mean Bella was alright? "Yeah, sorry. I knew about it because of other kids, so I wasn't aware that it was Harry who passed."

"It's a shame." Charlie's grief flashed through his face. "Does Bella know you're here?" He suddenly realized who he was talking to, and why he should be wary of Alice's presence in Forks. "Is it only you around?"

"No, she doesn't… and yes, it's only me, Charlie. You can relax." Alice tried to calm down Charlie, but he still looked conflicted. A truck parked nearby, and the vampire could smell Jacob from where she was standing. She also smelled blood that, for the very first time, was very unappetizing. "I should probably let you go, though. Uhm… say hi to Bella for me, will you?"

Charlie looked conflicted. He looked over to Jacob, who was clearly observing from the driver's seat, and then back to Alice. He felt a little sad for her – she had written all over her face that she had come to see Bella and sounded obviously sad at not seeing her around. He exhaled loudly, thinking he would regret what he was about to do.

"Are you going to be around for long?"

"I think I'll leave tomorrow, why?" Alice was trying to hide the eagerness in her voice.

"She's at the reservation waiting for the last rites to start and everything, but I don't think she will stay for the whole wake… I'll let her know you swung by, maybe she'll be home before you leave." Charlie felt a little ashamed, as if he had betrayed Bella somehow. "Just let me tell you, Alice. I'm doing this for you and not…"

"My brother. I know." Alice's expression seemed solemn enough for Charlie, to know she didn't have any ulterior motives. She reached into her bag to take out a notepad and quickly scribbled a number in it, before handing it to Charlie. "My new number."

"Good. See you." He said after grabbing the piece of paper and walking away.

Once in the car, Jacob said nothing to the Chief. There was no point on asking if it was Alice Cullen the one he was talking to, because Jacob knew very well it was her. He didn't think Charlie would encourage her to meet Bella. If anything, he wanted to crush her little skull along her family's, especially that one of Edward. Charlie felt the anger emanating from Jacob's body and correctly guessed it was due to Alice. Being completely honest, Charlie Swan was well aware that Bella could relapse after seeing Alice, but maybe she wouldn't, and he needed to push his daughter to have some closure.

"Do you smell that?" Charlie asked after a few minutes. "Doesn't it smell like blood?"

"It's probably the motor, don't worry, Charlie." Jacob said while ignoring the closing wound on his side. "Why would it smell like blood in here?"

"You're right." Charlie sighed, convinced his mind was so tired it started playing games on him. "We should hurry back. You have my permission to go over the limit." Jacob's foot pushed the pedal down, making the forest next to them a blur.

* * *

Bella had been waiting a good while for Charlie and Jacob to appear again. There were also no signs of Paul and Quil, and so she started to worry. It was always so nerve-wracking to stay in the sidelines and wait for everyone to come back. To count them down and finally being able to breathe when all of them were together was… well, it was exhausting. She was worried about Jacob the most. It had been a few weeks of nothing but work for him, and she felt a little responsible about it – after all, Victoria's presence in Forks was all due to her. She wondered how much longer he could hold the heavy weight of protecting a life. She was worried that Charlie would get tangled in the middle, too. Paul figured high on the list as well, for her own surprise. The sound of a car approaching Emily's house made her jump out of her seat and go meet whoever was coming. Jacob's big figure approached her rather quickly with a stern look on his face.

"Jake!" Bella ran towards him. "Are you okay? Where's Charlie?"

Jacob didn't reply and instead took Bella by the wrist and puller her somewhere away from the house. It didn't hurt, but it was a tight grip. She followed Jake's big steps rather confused and quickly became out of breath. The Quileute guy took her near the woods and finally released her arm as he cornered her body against a tree.

"What's going on?" Bella looked into Jake's eyes and adverted them when she couldn't bear the dark pool staring back. "Jake? Where's Charlie?"

"He's fine." He said, upset. "He's at Sue's." Bella took a breath of relief.

"How about you? Are you okay?" Bella examined his body and noticed the metallic smell of blood. "What happened?" Her eyes scanned his body, concerned. "Jake!"

"Why didn't you tell me the truth about Paul?" Jake finally said. "Why did you hide it?"

Bella's face became red as a tomato. She took in a big breath of cool air and looked at Jacob straight into his eyes. "He said he didn't want anyone to ask questions." Bella felt guilty for being found out but guessed it would happen eventually. "I didn't mean to lie."

"Damn it, Bella." Jake looked hurt. "You can at least try and be honest with me from time to time."

"Jake…"

"Don't 'Jake' me." He looked upset, as if he was about to cry. "Bella, I need to know, and I need to you to be completely honest… damn it, if you can't be honest at least just try for me, okay?"

"Okay." Bella didn't understand what was going on but got increasingly worried about Jacob as the conversation went on. She could feel her heart beat faster. "What do you want to know?"

"What do you think of me? Am I still just a little better than other guys? Am I still  _just that_?" It was not only Jake's gaze that reflected pain, but his voice and posture. Bella was taken aback. She didn't have an answer. "Damn it, Bella! Just say something!"

"I-I…. I wouldn't know, Jake… this is…" Bella's voice got lost the more she tried to tie a coherent thought. "It's hard to explain, Jake. You are like my sun, you know? I love you, but I don't exactly know what that entails either… It's different."

"Do you love me more than other guys? Forget about…  _him_. Do you love me more than Mike? More than Paul?" Jake's eagerness for an answer was confusing Bella even further.

"It's not like that, Jake." Bella's head was spinning. "Comparing you to them – why would I? Why are you aski-"

"I have enough with that." He cut her off mid-sentence.

Jake's lips suddenly met with Bella's in a passionate kiss. He was leading her – with a hand on her nape and the other on her waist he pulled her close and prevented her from pulling away. Bella was too shocked to do much and returned the kiss out of impulse. She wondered what had pushed Jacob to suddenly do such thing, and soon realized how surreal it felt to lock lips with him. Jake let go of her as suddenly as he had kissed her. He looked conflicted and she knew that she probably did too. There were too many thoughts crossing her mind and that made her feel dizzy. She put her back against the trunk of the tree and slid down while Jacob was still standing in shock. She wanted to say something, anything. " _Quickly, just do it._ " She thought to herself, but her friend beat her to it.

"Alice Cullen is back in town."

Bella's heart sank to the floor.


	7. It takes someone to come around

Bella's legs didn't respond despite how much she wanted to stand up and run away. She couldn't bring herself to do anything – the news of Alice's return crept over her like a heavy shadow, impending her to move or even take in some air. Her mind was a mess as multiple questions fought for the forefront of her attention. Was she alone? Did she want to meet her? Why hadn't she said goodbye to begin with? Everything she had rebuilt seemed to be falling apart. It couldn't be true that she would see a Cullen so soon after they departed forever. " _As if I never existed._ " Edward's voice resonated in her mind, now sounding like a cheap lie.

"Are you sure it was Alice?" Bella's raspy voice broke the silence. "Is it just her?"

"I saw her talking to Charlie with my own eyes, Bells." Jacob moved a few feet back, too afraid to approach Bella again. "She seems to be alone, yes."

Bella's mind tried to compute the whole thing. She tried to look for excuses and reasons why the elvish-looking girl would appear again after her brother, her, and her family had taken such extreme measures to keep her away. She also had spoken to Charlie, which meant that she knew Bella would find about it eventually. Alice being Alice could've come and gone without being noticed, having planned her steps meticulously. It just didn't make sense at all. She looked at Jacob confused and looking for answers, but the guy looked as conflicted as she was. And a thought hit her like truck.

" _Why did you kiss me, Jacob_?" Bella hissed, suddenly upset and her eyes furiously looking for his. Jacob didn't know what to say, so he fixed his eyes on the ground and remained quiet. "Was it because of Alice?" She was fired up enough to bring herself to stand up. Jacob didn't move. "Tell me, was it because Alice is back?"

"No." Jacob finally looked at her, trying to contain himself.

"Then?" She slowly approached him while her face became red all the way to her ears. "If it wasn't because of her, then why?"

"It just wasn't." Jacob said, although it didn't sound sincere. He didn't want to talk about Paul, not now. "I just… I needed to do it. It was a chance that I had to take, before…" He couldn't bring himself to make something up, nor to tell her the truth.

"Before I went running back into Alice's arms?" Bella looked hurt and disheartened. "You did this because you don't trust me."

"No! Bells c'mon…" Jacob gave her a painful look. "It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't want you to go away, and lately everything's so crazy. I need to know that there's some hope out there…"

"What if there weren't?" Bella's eyes were tearing up. "Would you leave me to  _them_  then?"

"You know that's not what I meant." Jacob was getting frustrated. "I'm sorry, okay? I was scared."

"I'm not flaky like that, Jacob." Bella choked up. "You don't trust me, and it shows." She looked up, letting a few tears run down her bright-red cheeks. "I won't run to their side the moment they show up… and I wish that at least you'd know that much." She started walking towards the house, with Jacob following behind.

"Bella! Where are you going?" Jacob grabbed her in an attempt to stop her. "I'm sorry."

"I'm going to the funeral, if you don't mind." She turned and glared at him. "I don't feel like seeing you right now either." She broke free from Jacob and ran towards the house.

"Fuck." Jacob mumbled through his teeth. "You outdid yourself, Jake."

"You certainly did." Quil's voice surprised him, as the teen was coming out of the nearby woods. "Well done, Jake. What a charm."

"How much did you see?" The taller one asked and, frustrated, he held the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Enough." Quil answered with a shrug. "I never thought you would do something so cowardly."

"What do you mean?" Jake felt his friend pushing his buttons.

"You know what I mean. You could've told her about Paul." Quil said nonchalantly.

"What is it with you today?" The other teen's anger slowly built up. "What does it matter that I tell her or not? Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

"Don't you get it, Jake? There are no sides anymore! You know what you would be doing to Paul if you keep going after her." Quil spat. "I get that you love her, but this isn't their fault – not Bella's, not Paul's. All you're doing here is throwing a tantrum hoping that she will choose you, and since you are too scared of her choosing Paul, you're playing him dirty."

"And what if I am?" Jacob frowned and clenched his fists. "Imprint my ass! I've loved her this whole time!"

"We both know this isn't about love." Quil said before passing by Jacob, following the path to Emily's house. "Do you think love had anything to do with Emily's accident? Love's got nothing on imprinting." He said without even looking back.

Jacob grunted before phasing and running into the woods, fading out of view rather quickly. His wound was almost healed, but he still couldn't get rid of the heavy feeling in his chest.

* * *

Bella arrived at Harry's wake with her black dress and black shoes making her look paler and more tired than what she already was. Her eyes looked slightly red and puffy, like those of many attending the service. She gave her condolences to Sue and her kids before looking for Charlie. Both Leah and Seth sat apart from all the attendants and wore a grim look on their faces, but they weren't crying; perhaps to spare their grieving mother from worrying over them too. While Billy and other Quileute natives had done everything in their hands to help out with the last rites, it was Charlie who was running everything behind the scenes most of the time. He approached his daughter once he had settled things with some worker from the funerary home, after Sue had been unable to hold in the tears for more than a brief moment.

"Everything okay, kiddo?" He asked as soon as he noticed Bella's puffy eyes, pulling her aside to have a more private conversation.

"I'm okay, I just argued with Jacob over something stupid." She sighed and gathered all her courage to look at her father in the eyes. "He told me about Alice."

Charlie's face gave everything away. He reached into his pocket to take out Alice's number, now crumpled into a little ball. "She wants to see you, Bells." He put the paper out, but Bella didn't take it. "I think you should."

"Don't be ridiculous… there's the funeral and all these things left to do." Bella said, trying to keep her tears back. "I have to be around."

"No, kid. You don't." Charlie looked sad as he took his daughter's hand and forced her to take the number. "I am going to be fine; hell, I am busy enough I haven't seen you all day. I think nobody will mind that you're away a few hours."

"I don't know what I would say to her." Bella confessed. "I don't think I can see her."

"Just give it a thought, alright?" Charlie embraced his daughter while a few lonely tears rushed down her face.

* * *

From outside, Paul had heard most of the conversation between Bella and her father. He wasn't on patrol duty but guessed it wouldn't hurt to watch out for his imprentee in the meantime. He decided not to show his face around Bella until it fully healed. At that moment it was in the last stages of scarring, but you could still tell very well where Jake's paw had crossed the middle of his face. It didn't hurt and, honestly, it didn't bother him as much as not being sure about what went on with whatever fight Jake and Bella had. With Alice's return, the events of that day wore his patience out quite a bit, and he had time restraining himself from barging into the funeral to comfort Bella. It took all his will not to do so.

Before, imprinting was something that made Paul sick of his stomach – how could someone drop everything for one person? Paul didn't understand it a single bit until he experienced it himself. Another thing he came to understand was Emily's accident. It amazed him how much Sam endured Emily's rejection for so long, being that he had just phased that is. It scared him a bit that the same thing could happen to Bella. Being away from her for a long time was painful and almost unbearable, and his urge to phase increased as he got more restless. It was getting harder to control himself around her, and he knew that he had to break the news to her soon… before he exploded like Sam did, at least.

Paul patiently waited for Bella to leave the wake, and after a couple hours she did. He stood up and followed her as discreetly as possible, wondering if she was done for the night. He was burning to talk to her at least once more that day, despite not wanting to come too strong onto her. Paul caught up with her as she approached her truck and whistled softly to call her attention as to no startle her with his sudden appearance. Bella looked at Paul's direction with her reddened eyes and felt a little embarrassed about her looks. She wiped any tear left behind in her face and gave the guy a sad smile while fixing her hair behind her ear.

"Patrolling?" Bella asked in a quiet and raspy voice.

"You can say that." Paul said with a nervous smile. "Going home, Swan?"

"I think so." She yawned while opening the driver's seat door. It was late, and she looked tired. Paul wondered if she had gotten any sleep aside from the couple hours she had the night before. "I am craving my bed, to be honest."

"Can you drive? Want me to come with?" Maybe it was because the exhaustion that Paul's kind voice soothed Bella a little. "You seem like you'll fall asleep any second."

"I actually would appreciate if you could drive for me." Bella was a little surprised she let anyone other than Jacob drive her precious truck. "I like how you drive." She said with another yawn.

"Is that it, Swan?" Paul smiled and walked towards her. "I'll be your personal driver, then." Bella felt a little hot at having Paul near her, but guessed it was the wolf's body heat and scratched it as nothing. She went in and scooched to the side so that Paul could take the wheel, and before she could say anything he looked at her dead serious. "I won't go over 80 mph and will also take it easy on the turns, don't worry." That made Bella laugh, making her forget the roller-coaster that day had been for a second.

"Thanks, Paul." Bella said while leaning back and closing her eyes. "For everything."

Bella heard the soft rumble of the engine going on, and then Paul going on reverse over the asphalt. She opened her eyes once they hit the uneven terrains to take the highway back to Forks. Paul's driving skills mesmerized Bella once more. She thought that she had never seen the guy as stoic as when he was driving. It was always Grumpy Paul or Cocky Paul, but never nothing this calm and held together. It made her think for the first time that he was a teen. The faint lights also softened his features, finally making him look his age – just 17-year-old Paul driving a girl home at night, and not a massive silver wolf protecting her from a revenge-seeking vampire. She felt bad to be relying so much on him, on Jake, and on the pack. They were barely as grown as she was, after all.

"A picture will last longer." Paul chuckled, forcing Bella out of her thoughts and making her blush. "Do I have something on my face?" He half-joked, worried about the scar, although it was way too faint at the point for Bella to notice.

"I was thinking how much I rely on you guys and how well you're taking this." Bella sighed. "I cannot see myself in your shoes."

"Well, you're taking this whole 'I'm-being-hunted-by-a-crazy-bloodsucker' thing like a champ, Swan. Give yourself some credit." Paul gave Bella a quick empathetic smile. "Anyway, what's with you suddenly?"

"I heard Alice Cullen is back in town." Bella didn't know why she blurted it out. Paul didn't really react and kept his hands on the wheel, but she could tell that he was containing his frustration. "Jake was worried about me going and running back to her, and it got to me. I trust you guys and I'm certainly not about to go and beg her to take me with her…"

"But?" Paul raised an eyebrow as he got out of the highway and into the town. Bella took in a deep breath while looking outside the window, remaining quiet. The guy grew anxious in the silent truck cabin, so her parked and turned to face the brunette. "Bella?"

"I want to meet with her." Bella said bluntly. Paul growled in frustration while burying his face between his hands, not happy with whatever she had on mind.

"Are you sure it's the best idea?" Paul said between his teeth. "After all they did to you? We can't even protect you in her territory."

"She's not going to do anything." Bella refuted.

"We can't help if things go awry with other bloodsuckers, thought." Paul explained.

Bella looked conflicted. "What about a middle ground? There must be one." She looked desperately at him. Paul looked away, not being able to be mad at her request.

"We can be around if you're in Forks, but she seemed willing to fight Jake when they first faced each other. I'm not sure how it will turn out if any of us meets with her again." Paul sighed. "And let's not talk about what Sam would do to any of us if we met her on purpose without backup."

"So… I either met her alone or I don't meet her at all?" None of the ideas made Bella happy. She wasn't about to face Alice on her own, but she was also not going to ask the guys to put themselves in the line anymore.

It was obvious to Paul that Bella wanted really bad to meet the Cullen bloodsucker. He wanted to indulge on her request and let her do as he pleased, but he also wasn't about to make Sam angry by breaking the treaty or getting near a vampire without a plan. He struggled a lot trying to ponder all the possibilities and outcomes and, to his disadvantage, he gave in to Bella's request in most of them.

"Do you really want to meet her?" Paul asked quietly as he glanced at a confused Bella, awaiting an answer. The stern look she gave him back said it all. He grunted. "If that bloodsucker jumps me I will not restrain myself, okay? And it has to be tomorrow before I phase again or this whole thing won't happen."

Bella was surprised that Paul implied that he would accompany her. She was expecting him to want to talk to Sam or Jake first. She felt relieved to hear that at least he wouldn't involve the whole pack.

"Okay." She said, trying to contain a smile.

Paul exhaled loudly before turning on the engine of the truck once more and driving towards Bella's home. He thought of the thousand apologies he would have to give Sam later on. He was dead meat, that was for sure. Although next to him, Bella seemed more relaxed and that made him feel better about getting his ass kicked. The rest of the trip was quick and soon enough they were parking in Bella's drive way.

"I guess I'll get going." Paul said, extending the keys to Bella before they left the truck.

"Do you have to go home?" Bella asked, not wanting for him to leave. Everything seemed to be calmer when Paul was around.

"I don't until tomorrow night." He admitted.

"Why don't you stay then?" Bella said, noticing she was on a streak about being blunt to Paul Lahote. He raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Charlie's staying at Sue's tonight too, and I don't feel like being alone, that's all." Bella mumbled. "I'm beat, but I don't feel like I can sleep much tonight either."

Paul chuckled softly at her answer, knowing that he was going to stay from the moment she asked him to. "Alright, Swan. I'll stay." He smiled, and she returned it happily.

Both of them got out of the truck, but only Paul closed the door and went towards the house. Bella remained next to the open door, looking at nothing.

"Everything okay?"

"Uh-huh, I just need to get my things together." She said, urging Paul to go inside first. "I'll be right there."

She waited until both the screen and the door had closed to exhale nervously and duck down next to the truck. She took her cellphone from the co-pilot's seat and pulled Alice's number out of her back, quickly typing a text for the vampire, before taking everything and rushing inside to Paul.

* * *

Alice's phone vibrated in the co-pilot's seat. She was driving across the highway but still managed to gracefully reach for the phone and open the text she had just gotten.

" _Let's meet tomorrow at my house. Come at a decently human time._ " It read.


	8. Ready or Not

When Bella crossed the door and saw Paul sitting so tranquilly on her couch, with his head back and his eyes closed, she thought that their recently developed amicability felt more like a friendship of years. Although Paul had been rather aloof with her at the beginning, she never took it to heart and was happy that he became so inhibited around her rather quickly. It kind of reminded her of when she got to meet Embry and Quil before they phased, though Paul was a little more mature. Maybe from being alone with Jared and Sam for such a long time before others joined the pack. Behind his cocky and hot-headed exterior, he was very thorough and mature. She giggled to herself before running upstairs to take a quick shower and put on some pajamas.

Paul woke up when he felt the couch sink next to him and the smell of Bella's shampoo flooded the air around him. He opened his eyes and turned his face to find her mirroring his position. Their eyes met, and she smiled tiredly. The Lahote teen struggled not to close in on the space dividing them and make out with her right that second. He smiled back and flicked her forehead playfully.

"You look tired, you should sleep." Paul said. "Kids that don't get their 8 hours of sleep don't grow." He founded incredibly adorable when she pouted at him and chuckled lightly.

"It's not my fault you guys are gigantic." She muttered. "And I don't want to sleep yet."

"What do you want to do, then?" Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Talk, I guess." She extended her legs and pretended to examine her feet. "I feel like getting to know you."

"What do you want to know?" Paul shifted to his side and rested his head on his hand, paying full attention to Bella's profile.

"I don't know." She blushed. "What's your greatest fear? For example…"

"Go big or go home, right Bella?" He laughed.

"I mean… you don't have to answer, it was just a suggestion." She sank even more into the couch, a little embarrassed.

"I'm afraid of being left behind." Paul said bluntly while playing with a strand of her chocolate-colored hair, making Bella feel a little flustered. "I'm not good with people, if you couldn't tell." A faint smile drew itself on his face. "They leave when I don't react the way that I should. Even before phasing I had very few friends because of it, and after this wolf thing started, they just kinda accepted it and moved on without me. My old man is like that too, and my best guess is that my mom left because of that."

"I'm sorry." Bella said, finally looking back at Paul. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked."

"No." Paul said, serious. "I'm glad you asked. Not a lot of people now this… it's good to let it out."

"Uhm." Bella nodded. "But… I get it." She sighed and gave a lazy look to the living room. "I had Renée around my whole life, but it wasn't like she revolved around me. I knew that I needed to make myself scarce once she married before she started pushing me out herself. Charlie… my dad's been alone for a while, so I know he will be alright even if I'm not around, but he hasn't said he doesn't need me, so I stick around. Really… I guess it materialized when hi-, I mean, Edward left, and he didn't look back." She looked at Paul while frowning. "I'm sorry, I always unpack these truth bombs to you."

"It's alright." Paul let go of the strand of hair and took Bella's hand instead, examining each of her fingers. "You can tell me all about it, if it makes you feel better."

"Even if it's about a  _bloodsucker_?" Bella was fixated on Paul's hand plating with hers but managed to laugh a little.

"Even about that." Paul laughed.

"Thanks." She tilted her head with a smile and Paul ruffled her hair around.

"No problem, Swan."

They kept talking for a little while after, until Bella started to drift away mid-sentence and finally fell asleep. Paul felt an inexplicable relief and calmness when Bella's head laid itself on his chest. Seeing her up close mesmerized Paul in ways he didn't even understand but, worried she wouldn't get comfortable sleep for the second night in a row, he decided to take her upstairs. Paul took her princess-style into his arms and then upstairs to her bedroom with extreme ease. He put her down into her bed and pressed his lips onto her hair, careful not to wake her up. Tired as well, he closed the door after himself and went down to lay on the Swan's couch for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Paul woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. Bella had her hair up in a messy bun and had put on some different clothes. She looked a little more relaxed than the night before and that made Paul feel better too. He approached the kitchen and called out Bella's attention by clearing his throat. She turned around and smiled brightly, making Paul skip a beat and wonder if he had gone to heaven.

"Morning, Lahote." She said.

"Morning, Swan." His voice was a little lower than usual. "What's the time?"

"Around 9." Paul nodded slowly while Bella turned again to put attention to the food. "I didn't notice when I fell asleep last night, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I was tired too, anyways." He shrugged his shoulders all the way to his ears. "What's today's plan, by the way?" His question made her freeze on the spot.

"Well… Alice is coming over at around 11." Bella admitted, biting her bottom lip. "I'm sorry it's so soon."

"Oh… well, the sooner we do it the less I have to avoid patrolling." He said to calm her down, even though he wondered when she contacted the leech that he didn't notice. "Do you want me with you? I could always make myself busy outside." He suggested, hoping Bella wouldn't choose the later.

"I don't know." Bella said. "I don't think you should  _have_  to leave though." That was enough for him to decide on staying.

After Bella was finished with the rest of the breakfast, Paul put out plates for the both of them and set the table. While Bella was serving the food, Paul suddenly became very serious and looked in the direction of the door.

"What happened?" She asked, curious.

"I think your friend showed up even earlier than expected." Paul said between his teeth.

Bella rushed to the living room and through the window she clearly spotted Alice Cullen getting down a black and slick sedan. Their eyes met, and the vampire showed her typical and charming smile, before freezing on the spot and making a similar face to Paul's when he caught her scent. The brunette quickly made her way outside and towards the other girl, with Paul following behind but remaining aside.

"Alice." She mumbled with incredulity, almost not believing that she had her friend right in front.

"Bella." The vampire said while bringing her into a cold and tight hug.


	9. All the things that you went through

The brunette has a hard time comprehending where all the familiarity came from. Alice hadn't seen her in eight months and now she was hugging her like nothing ever happened. It was weird how familiar yet foreign her hug felt – It was still the same cold skin and the same sweet smell, but it now seemed less captivating than what it once was. Bella had to tap Alice's back when the air wasn't coming into her lungs anymore. The vampire let go and stepped back, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, it's been a while since I had contact with a human… I guess I was a little too strong." She giggled.

"It's okay." Bella said, putting some distance from the pixie-like vampire and herself. "What brings you here so early? Your text said you'd take a couple hours."

"Uh… to be honest, I was just excited to see you." Alice cocked her head and saw Paul standing behind Bella, a few feet away. Alice had forgotten about the obvious presence of the wolf for a second, and he didn't seem happy with her at all. "But if it's a bad moment, I can leave and come back."

"Why would you?" Bella followed Alice's line of vision and came to realize that she was staring at Paul. "It's fine, he won't do anything."

Alice's eyes immediately went to Bella's face, surprised. "You know about them." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah." The brunette nodded awkwardly. "Actually, that's why he's here."

"You brought a wolf. To protect you. From  _me_." Alice articulated, looking somewhat hurt by it.

"It's nothing personal, Alice." Bella dismissed her. "He just wants to make sure everything's okay, since you came so suddenly." She quickly glanced at Paul to confirm he was still there and felt a little relieved that he didn't seem angry. "Why don't we talk inside?"

"Is he coming?" Alice asked, reluctant.

"He won't bite, I promise." Bella stepped aside, hinting for Alice to go ahead.

Alice followed the invitation and walked to the house, followed by the brunette and then the wolf. The house hadn't changed a bit, except it smelled like wet dog. She thought that the smell was bad enough when the others were following her around but the one Paul left behind was almost unbearable. If Alice could puke, she probably would have. Even when she hugged Bella, the smell was all over her hair and clothes. The vampire wondered about the type of relationship they shared – Paul seemed to float around Bella in a protective manner, but was still subtle enough that only those with a sharp eye would notice. Bella seemed to be comfortable around him and would look out for him, like checking that he hand't disappeared into nothing. It was all too weird, and she had a couple things to say about that, but she would wait to open up her big mouth. It was a precious opportunity already, and pointing fingers so quickly wasn't going to help. The human girl led her into her kitchen and offered a seat on the table where the food was still untouched on the plates.

"We didn't get to eat." Bella explained. Alice grew concerned as she noticed that Paul was part of her breakfast plans, and that most likely had spent the night.

"You go ahead." She smiled cheerfully. "But… if you don't mind me saying this," now she looked at Paul, "this place smells." A playful smile appeared in Alice's face, but this time her eyes remained inexpressive.

"You don't smell great either." Paul hissed while sitting down next to Bella. "You almost make me lose my apatite." Bella frowned at both.

"Can you be a little more civil?" She scolded the guy, although Alice felt a little targeted too. She looked away, embarrassed, while the wolf took his plate and stood up.

"… I'll go to the living room so you guys can talk." He didn't look like he wanted to leave at all as he pierced Alice with his dark eyes until he left the kitchen. It was obvious he didn't trust her alone with Bella.

"I'm sorry about that." Bella excused him, before turning her attention to Alice once more. "I didn't know wolfs smelled…"

"I don't think you could tell even if you tried." Alice said. "But in case you're curious, it smells like a wet dog that hasn't had a bath in a long, long time." That made both of them chuckle. Alice put out her cold hand and touched Bella's across the table. "I am glad you asked me to come."

The other girl's reaction wasn't what Alice expected. Bella smiled awkwardly and removed her hand slowly, avoiding her eyes. She was obviously wary of her and seemed to trust her as much as the wolf guy did.

"Listen, Alice." She said and finally looked at the vampire in the eyes. "Before you say anything, I think you owe me some answers." Alice nodded, knowing that she would eventually ask, although it was a little out of character for Bella to be so proactive.

"Shoot."

"Why are you back?" The brunette kept being blunt, for the sake of not showing the vampire any kind of opening. She wanted the truth with no sugar coating. "Why did you show up here after so long?"

Alice exhaled loudly. "I saw you in one of my visions… jumping off the cliff." Bella was taken aback for a second. "I thought you… you know…"

"Killed myself? I can't believe it." Bella was baffled. Alice remained quiet. "Anyhow, why even bother yourself over that? Wasn't your family going to stay away? Looking into my future doesn't seem like staying away for me. Much less showing up in front of Charlie all of a sudden." Bella was angry at the half-assed way they left her behind – Why could Alice know about her when she spent months trying to convince herself they were actually real? It all seemed so one-sided.

"Don't get me wrong, Bella." Alice frowned, trying to gather the correct words to explain herself. " After being able to see you for so long… it's like waves that my radar can read now. I wasn't  _trying_  to see you." Alice looked over her shoulder, trying to see if the wolf was paying attention to their conversation, but he was not in sight. In front of her, Bella seemed a little reluctant to believe her. "I promise I wasn't spying on you. I knew very little of your life after we left Forks, and I tried to distance myself like Edward wanted. But… when I saw you jumping, I was convinced that you were gone and thought that putting distance didn't make sense anymore, until I saw Charlie that is. I was surprised to find out that you were okay."

"That's because Paul took me out of the water, didn't you see that too?" Bella perceived Alice's genuine surprise when she explained what happened. "I was in and out of the water in no time, Alice. Didn't you try and look at it again?"

"Bella, I sure tried, but they was nothing on you." Alice grimaced. "I tried looking further ahead but nothing came out of it. Not even you going to school or being home with Charlie. Your whole existence was just ' _puff_ ' and there couldn't be any other explanation."

"What about today? You should have known what would happen if you came early right?" Bella asked, referring to Paul's presence at her house.

"I couldn't, actually. It's the first time that it happens aside from…" Alice's eyes opened wide in realization, letting Bella fully appreciate their dark golden color. She had thought that the wolves weren't making any rational decisions when tracking her down, but the answer seemed to change now that Bella brought it up. "It's them."

"Them?" The brunette looked puzzled. "Who's  _them_?"

"Your friends." Alice felt a little annoyed. "I can't see your friends."

"And when I'm with them, you can't see me." Bella finished, quickly catching up. At least for the most part.

There was more it than just that: It wasn't only that Bella was around wolves enough for her not to see her future – it was that Bella's future had become so entangled with theirs that there wasn't anything in her life that didn't involve them anymore. The fogginess she experienced before was an earlier stage of something far more imminent. Alice felt a chill go down her spine when she thought of the way Paul looked at Bella – way too similar to how vampires looked at their mates.

"Bella, may I ask something?" Alice asked in a slightly higher voice. Bella bit her lower lip and reluctantly nodded. "How did you come around these wolves? I know my brother said you're a magnet for trouble but… another mythological being? Isn't that too much?"

Bella looked at Alice like she had just said that the earth was round and revolved around the sun. "They phase when vampires are around… like a defense mechanism." Bella explained. "I figured your family knew that as long as you were around, they would be too."

"I knew that they  _existed_  as in past tense. I didn't imagine I would run into them like Carlisle did. I thought all of them had passed." Alice admitted, feeling like she missed out on something. "And that doesn't explain why  _you_  are with them. You're not a Quileute, how is this possible? Even if they existed before we left, it makes no sense that you conveniently find out after we leave." Alice's concern grew much more as Bella kept being reluctant to answer. The treaty was made in order to protect both sides from being exposed, so it made Alice curious as to why they would let her in on it. "Bella?"

"Some of the guys in the pack phased a while after you left. I kind of guessed. Jake told me some of the legends in secret and I just put two and two together." She replied, not wanting to give away much about the guys. "I wasn't supposed to know, I just did."

"They phased? After the vampires left?" The room's atmosphere grew heavy on them. There were so many gaps in the whole story and Bella was willing to fill very few of them.

Bella was struggling to tell everything to Alice. What help would it do? It would only stir things that she would rather forget. Victoria was still trying to get to her, and if the Cullens became involved it would only fire her up some more. She decided to give her a vague answer.

"There have been some nomads coming and going around the area causing trouble and trying to get into Forks." Bella shrugged.

"It's amazing how willing you are yo put yourself at danger." Alice mumbled in disbelief. "Why stay with them? Bella, this is exactly what Edward was worried about. Aren't they a lot more unstable than vampires? What do you think you're doing? You might have not jumped off that cliff trying to die, but this is even more deadly than that!" Alice was going rampant with her comments. "The moment you found out you should've put some distance. Let them handle the vampires and don't mess in those matters anymore."

She felt betrayed, in a way, by Bella in the place of her adoptive brother. Edward had pushed his whole family out of a perfectly nice life because he feared that Bella could get caught up in the middle of their lifestyle, to 'save her soul', to give her a normal life, and she just wasn't having it? She could've gone out with Mike, Tyler, or anyone that was human for that matter. She could've gone to school, dated, married, had kids even. And she threw it out the window for the next monster that knocked on her door?

"Alice! I won't stand you talking about them like that." Bella hissed. "What right do you have? You left! There's a lot you don't know."

"Well, enlighten me! Why would you throw away all we did for you to have a normal life, and put yourself in this position?" Alice stood up, sending her chair flying out.

"Alice, what normal life?" Bella stood up as well and approached Alice to show her the half-moon scar still on her arm. "I had nightmares for months, I couldn't bring myself to act like a living person, I stopped being me and was more like a zombie. You and your family selfishly left without saying goodbye because it was easier for  _you_ , not for me. I shielded myself in other people that eventually had their lives turned around because of your family, because of what you are. Do you think the pack wanted to phase? To stop going to school to patrol endlessly around the reservation? And let's not talk about safety here. Did you even bother to check on Jame's mate? Because she's hunting me down right this moment. Not long ago Laurent showed up to hunt me down too – to spare me from Victoria's revenge, that is. The one who doesn't understand jack shit is you, Alice." Her face had turned red and her firsts were clenched so hard that the palms of her hands hurt. "I thought this was a good idea. To talk and get some closure… but it wasn't. I think you should leave."

"Victoria is back?" The room became quiet.

"Yes. She seems to be hunting me down."

"Bella! This is something you bring up immediately!" Alice took Bella by the arm and started to drag her out. "I need to take you to my family, we need to solve this. We can protect you."

"No! Alice!" Bella struggled with her, but the vampire was way stronger. "The pack is doing that already. It has nothing to do with you anymore. Let me go!" She kept pushing and pulling.

Alice felt the presence of the wolf creeping on her back, and wondered if she could out run him. Alice was upset at Bella and herself. When she saw the guy's ready-to-attack aura, she realized she needed to calm down and gain control of the situation – to make Bella understand that what she was doing was dangerous. She didn't want to fight her.

"Bella… I'm sorry. I freaked." Alice stuttered as she let go, unable to get at the girl who was now looking at her with cold eyes. "Let's talk."

"I think this conversation is over." Paul intervened. "Get out, leech."

Alice glanced at the wolf with anger. "Stay out."

"Alice!" Bella stood between them. "Please leave."

The vampire gave another look at Paul and felt his anger emanating through his pores. She wanted to stay and convince Bella, but as long as the wolf was there, she wouldn't be able to. Alice sighed with resignation and gave Bella a sad smile. "I understand. I'll leave."

Bella moved cautiously behind her, leading her to the door and then outside, with Paul following now very closely. They got to the porch when the phone rang inside.

"It was nice seeing you, Alice." Bella said not that sincerely, before going back inside to pick the home phone. She didn't even look or wave goodbye at Alice. " _Hello? Oh, hi Mrs. Newton…_ " Alice heard her answer inside. It was now only her and the wolf outside.

"I hope you don't show yourself around." Paul said, looking back inside. "She's fine with us."

"You know? She might not notice now… but I can see the way you look at her." Alice whispered to Paul. "You look at her the same way Edward did. Do you know what happened due to that? She was beat and almost turned a vampire. If you love her, get her out all this."

"Leave, leech. Before I lose my temper with you." Paul grunted.

"Oh, I would love for that to happen." Alice smirked. "Do you think that she would realize how dangerous you are if you hurt me?"

"I would never hurt Bella." Paul said, trying to contain himself.

"You can't prove that!" Alice spat. "I thought that it was okay for our family to leave but, I see that we might need to make a little visit and make sure Bella isn't being taken care of by just the lesser of two evils. This isn't over for me."

The next thing that Alice remembered was that Bella suddenly appeared in the front yard, and stood between her and the wolf. Alice panicked and couldn't find the words to tell her to move away, to put herself somewhere safe. Her gaze met with that of the wolf for a fraction of a second and she knew that he was ready to attack. Acting on her instincts, Alice rushed to grab Bella and push her aside before the wolf jumped on her and started to tug with her. Feeling trapped, Alice dug her teeth into the wolf's skin and pushed him aside when he howled in pain. A few feet away, Bella saw everything unfold, covered in scratches and dirt. Her eyes were set on the wolf now laying on the ground.

"Oh my god, Bella!" Once out of the stupor, Alice ran to her and offered her hand to her. "I'm so sorry, so, so sorry. I told you this could happen! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Bella said, rejecting Alice's hand and running towards Paul. "What did you do Alice?" She asked after examining the wolf. Paul wasn't responding, and he was just laying, whining and shivering.

"I-I bit him… I didn't know what else to do." She mumbled. "I'm sorry… Bella, I'll help."

"No, just get out." Bella looked desperately around her, not knowing what to do. She felt the tears accumulating in her eyes. "I don't want to see you anymore around here, Alice. Damnit. Just leave."

After freezing for a second, the short girl ran to the black sedan and rushed away, leaving behind the smell of burnt rubber. Bella didn't care much for that, as she was more concerned about the grey wolf in front of her. She was panicking. The anger and desperation were building up as she didn't know what to do. Calling Jacob or Sam would have been the best option, but tending to Paul seemed way more urgent. Bella felt completely lost until she saw Jacob coming out of the nearby woods. It could have been a minute or two since Alice had left, but it felt like an eternity. She cried for help and begged Jacob to rush.

"Bella." Jacob held her by the shoulder and shook her as a way to bring her back into reality. "It's fine, I'm here now."

"No, Paul is, he…" The tears started pouring. "Alice."

"I know, we know." Jacob ducked down to check on Paul. "The others are in their way to help out. We have to make him phase back, but it seems like he took in too much venom. We won't be able to move him too far after that."

"Bring him upstairs. I'll go make some space."

Bella didn't wait a second to rush inside, to her room. Trying to make as much space for them as possible, she found herself growing more frustrated and concerned. She needed to think quickly as there was a big wolf in her front lawn and not too much time before someone could notice him. Things were thrown into the bathroom and pillows were taken from Charlie's bed, and new sheet put on her own. She took the first aid kid out of her closet and laid it over on her desk. She heard the pack coming out of the woods, coming all together. All the guys had gathered around Paul to lift him and carry him to the back of the Swan Residence, with Bella not being able to look too long at the hurt silver wolf. She rushed back downstairs when the phone rang for a second time.

"Mrs. Newton, I will have to call you back." Bella said, concerned for Paul.

" _Bella?_ " A melodic voice said through the phone, obviously not that of Karen Newton. "... _It's Carlisle._ "

"Doctor Cullen." Bella cleared her voice, impatient to hang up the phone. "I would like to say that I want to talk to you right now, but I don't. Please don't call again."

Bella pushed the hang button way to hard and threw the phone away in anger, before heading out back to where Paul was.


	10. Sleeping on the moon

After all the commotion had gone down and Paul was settled in Bella's room, Sam gathered the pack and the young girl in the Swan's living room. Sam put down a kitchen chair across from the couch where Bella sat down between Embry and Quil, while Jared was standing to the side of the alpha. Everyone was fidgeting around for someone to say something, but nobody had to guts to ask what happened just yet. The Quileute elder were called, but only Billy Black would make an appearance as Quil III was staying at Harry's wake. It took a good twenty minutes for Billy's truck to park in front of Bella's home, with Jacob in the driver's seat. Jacob pushed his father into the house quietly and without a struggle. The moment Billy's eyes met with Bella's she felt really guilty – Billy looked rather sickly, having to deal with Harry's passing and now Paul's condition could not be good for a man his age with diabetes. Everyone was silent until the elder had been placed in the middle of the living room, where he could see both Sam and Bella. He cleared his throat and with empathetic eyes he looked at Bella again.

"Bella, why don't you walk us through what happened?" Billy asked with authority, but still nicely enough for Bella to feel brave enough to talk.

"Alice Cullen," she said, with the pack flinching at the name, "she… she came to Forks looking for me. She came over to talk, but she got really upset and tried to drag me out with her. Paul told her to let go and she eventually calmed down, then we saw her out… the phone rang, so I went back inside. I thought Paul had followed me, but when I heard a loud noise outside and rushed to check he had already phased. I tried to stop them but Alice pushed me out of the way and then started to fight Paul. After she bit him I told her to leave and she did."

"Why was she looking for you?" Sam asked. Bella's eyes went to him and then to the floor.

"Alice, she can see things… like  _the future_  and so." Bella mumbled. Everyone was shocked but remained silent. "She said that after they left, well, she wasn't looking into mine  _per se_  but she caught a glimpse of me doing cliff diving. She can't see the pack at all, so even after Paul got me out of the water, she thought that I had  _well, you know_ , and she came to Forks looking for Charlie without knowing that I was well and alive."

"And why did she want to meet, Bella?" Billy asked after sighing. "Did she have a reason other than making sure you were alive?"

"She also met with Charlie and gave him her number, at the station." Jacob added quietly. Billy raised an eyebrow at him. "My guess is that the Chief had good intentions by taking the number."

"Did Charlie ask you to meet her? Bella?" Billy asked.

"It was actually my idea." Bella admitted. Jacob glanced at her and she looked back at him with stern eyes, like saying she wasn't going to lie for her own good. "I thought I wanted closure. Alice had been my friend despite being a vampire and I needed answers. I never imagined she would do something like this. It was surreal."

"What exactly set her off?" Embry asked her, trying to understand the situation. When they came, Paul's mind was so messed up by the pain that nobody got the full picture of the events. "Why did she try to drag you out?"

"Well, I think it started when she realised I know about you guys and the treaty." Bella shivered. "She seemed very upset at me hanging around with the pack and called you unstable and dangerous, and when she found out about Victoria she went crazy. She said that the Cullens would protect me and tried to drag me out. She did let go eventually, and that's when I asked her to leave. I don't know what made her fight with Paul afterwards."

"She told him that she would bring the Cullens back." Jacob said. Everyone's eyes went to him. "I was patrolling when he phased, so I caught on before he could be bitten." He explained. Bella grimaced at the thought of seeing the whole Cullen Clan around once more.

" _What a bitch_." Quil muttered.

" _Yeah_." Jake, Jared, and Embry agreed in unison.

Billy seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts for a while. There was a lot to plan and deal with. He could tell that Alice had said more than just that, and that not everyone was in the same page. Sam had warned him that Bella didn't know that Paul imprinted. Keeping it a secret was getting more out their hands and becoming a bigger problem every minute that went by without the girl knowing. He had to deal with Sam's anger, too. Bella was a teen and didn't know better when it came to it, and it wasn't like she had control over a vampire that could stomp over her in many aspects, but sometimes Sam struggled to grasp that. The other kids were worried, and obviously shaken by what the Cullens could do if they came back. If he didn't contain the situation it would only end up being a lot worse for the pack later.

"Well, Bella, I'm going to be honest here." Billy broke the silence. "What you did wasn't okay, but I understand it."

"I'm so sorry." Bella said. "I truly am."

"I know you are, and it wasn't your fault that Alice bit Paul — to be honest, I am quite surprised myself that she did that." Billy admitted. "But she broke the treaty by bitting Paul and I can't overlook that. If the Cullens ever come back, I'm afraid you won't be able to remain friends with them if you decide to stay in our side of things, with us protecting you."

"Don't worry, Billy." Bella said. "I don't have any intentions to be around vampires anymore."

"Good." Billy then looked at Sam. "Now, about Paul… I don't think it's a good idea to move him to La Push just yet. The venom takes a while to break down and moving him doesn't help the process at all, so it's better if we keep him here and make some rounds to check on him. I will have Quil III come and check on him." Billy then repaired on a shaken Bella, who was eager to know what she should do. "As long as Bella doesn't mind having him around… if that's the case we can try to move him some place else."

The brunette opened her eyes in surprise. She was already expecting to care for Paul, since she felt like it was her fault that he was in the trouble he was.

"I can look after him." She said. "Don't worry about it."

"Good. I will try and keep Charlie away so we don't have to explain the injured teen in your bed. As for the rest of you, it's better if you tighten up those patrols. We can't have the crazy redhead know that we are missing one of our guys." Billy explained. He looked down to his wrist watch. "I guess we'll reconvene after the funeral, if you excuse me, I have to rush back to Sue's."

The pack opened up the way for Billy's chair to go out the way it came. Billy went out the door with Jacob and the pack following suit, except for Sam and Quil. The taller one approached Bella quietly, while the girl waited to hear him scream at her. Quil watched carefully behind him.

"Bella." Sam said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yeah?" The teen was shaking lightly.

"I just want you to know that this isn't your fault." Sam said with a softer tone of voice, which surprised her. "I just wish that you and Paul think before you act. What happened could've been avoided if the rest of us were there. You can have a little more trust in us, from now on." Both Quil and Bella were even more surprised at the alpha's statement. "Please take care of him."

"Will do." Bella said with a pink flush. "Thank you."

"I will be patrolling this area tonight, be sure to call me if needed." With that, Sam went out the door too.

Quil whistled in amusement when he saw Sam leave. Billy's truck left soon after Sam, Embry, and Jared had all ran towards the forest where they phased once out of sight. Bella looked at Quil, confused as to why the teen had decided to stay behind. Bella had the impression that in those last couple days he had been rather cold to her and that he didn't want to be around her, ever since Paul had ran out of Emily's home in distress. She thought that he probably didn't like her around him, and wondered if he hated her after the thing with Alice.

"So, what's up?" Bella asked awkwardly.

"I just wanted to ask you if you were okay." Quil said, shrugging. "Everyone was so busy wondering about what happened to Paul that they overlooked that you faced the girl that's the sister of the guy who dumped you."

"Oh." Bella laughed. "I'm sorry, that was such a straight-to-the-face thing to say, so you, Quil."

"Well, it's the truth." He smiled and that made Bella feel a little more at ease. "So, how are you, Bells?"

"Honestly… I was terrified before." Bella's hands went into her jean's pockets. "But… with Paul there everything was good, until the whole fight thing." Bella's shoulder shrugged all the way up to her ears. "I don't think I am pining over Edward anymore, to be honest, and seeing his sister and not being conflicted by that, well, it was just and awkward reminder that I've moved on."

"I see…" Quil nodded while looking to the air for a bit. "Well, do know that I support you and Paul, whatever you guys do."

Bella looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"I wonder." Quil replied nonchalantly with a mischievous smile. "I need to go, see you, Bells." The guy ran out of the house before Bella could say anything to him. Frustrated, Bella just frowned and closed the door after him, wondering what he meant earlier.

* * *

The brunette sighed at the whole turn of events her day had taken and decided that it would be better if she put her mind off of it and tried to do some things around the house before she went up to see Paul. With a go-at-it attitude, she cleaned the kitchen and living room, and started doing laundry in a record time. By the time she finished it was barely lunch time. She made soup with some of the frozen fish Charlie had caught not long ago and hoped that Paul felt well enough to eat something. Her mind wandered off for a while, and as she cooked she realised how much she had skipped school and that she had a calculus test the day after. Everything was just so overwhelming that a test and school seemed like a long awaited break she was in much need of. She also wondered if her dad would show up anytime soon, given that the wake would soon end. It didn't take long for her to hear a faint growl upstairs; a sign that Paul was finally awake and that made her rush through the rest and hurry upstairs with a bowl and a spoon for the wolf.

Paul looked like a kid in a twin bed while laying on her queen size bed. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, and below him a couple improvised towels prevented the blood from his wound to smear all over her purple sheets. In reality, the wound wasn't as deep or big, and it looked fairly similar to the scar Bella wore on her right arm, but it was still bleeding a little and didn't seem to be closing up, thing Bella credited to Alice's venom. Bella took a little disinfectant and some cotton from her first aid kid and gently dabbed, hopping that if it wasn't any helpful with the venom, it would at least cool of the wound. Paul was growling and sweating a bunch, but he didn't seem to be fully aware of his surroundings nor of Bella's presence next to him. She leaned over and she felt the heat he was giving off, way above his already abnormal body temperature.

"Gosh, Paul. You're too damn hot." Bella said when she touched his forehead. Paul seemed to gain some strength to laugh lightly despite the pain.

"Thanks, Swan." He grinned, without opening his eyes. "You're not too bad yourself." His voice sounded off and callous, which got Bella worried, making her completely ignore Paul's comment.

"I mean you probably have a fever… a horrible one." Bella frowned. "You think you can eat? I made some soup."

"Uh-Uh." Paul said. "I don't think I can even stand up enough to eat. Everything hurts."

"Do you want me to bring anything?" Bella asked. "Ice?"

"No." Paul said, and still with his eyes closed and struggling quite a bit, he put his hand out towards Bella. "Your hand felt nice enough, give it back to me."

"It won't stay cold forever, you know that?" Bella warned him, but still held Pauls hand.

"It won't go even close to my temperature, though." Paul lightly pushed Bella towards the bed. "Lay next to me, Swan."

Paul couldn't see Bella, and she was thankful enough for that. Her pale cheeks had gone a few shades of bright red. Paul was being too friendly and she couldn't say no to the guy who had been poisoned because of her. She reluctantly sat down next to him and put her free hand on his forehead again. His body temperature was alarming, but it didn't feel bad at all. Bella started to feel cold just from adjusting to Paul's temperature.

"I said to lay next to me, Bella." Paul was getting grumpy, and a little out of himself. "Not to sit down next to be."

"If I lay down, it might hurt you." Bella complained.

"It can't hurt more than what it does already, trust me." Paul said. "Please just lay down. Your skin feels nice." Bella felt her face burning at that last comment.

She reluctantly laid down in a way that her head was on his chest and not his shoulder, avoiding the wound. Between the two of them, the bed felt a little crowded but it wasn't awful for either of them. The brunette was way too embarrassed to say anything and the wolf guy was enjoying himself too much over the pain to say something that would drive the girl away. After a little time in silence, their breath had synced up and the air felt a little less stuffy. Bella, thinking that Paul was asleep again, was about to remove her head.

"Don't you dare sneak away, Swan." Paul's deep and raspy voice said. "You owe me tonight."

"I don't see the benefit of me being here like this." Bella pouted.

"Well, I do, so stay put." Paul sighed. "… also, I'm sorry about this."

"It wasn't your fault." Bella clenched her teeth, thinking about what Alice had done.

"But I know you had high hopes on that bloodsucker." Paul's hand reached Bella's back and gently pushed her towards him. High on his closeness to the girl, he almost forgot how much it hurt with the venom running through his veins. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for the best."

"Oh, but it did." Bella muttered. "I mean, I am now stuck with you and the pack, but even you guys are better." She tried to joke, but felt a little bad when she realised that even chuckling hurt for the guy.

"Well, I'm stuck with you too, and you don't hear me complaining." Paul joked back, with his voice getting more faint. "And all jokes aside, you can come to me, I will even get poisoned for you." Paul chuckled a little to his second joke, but Bella felt like crying.

"I know, you idiot." She said while chocking up. "Don't do that again."

"I will try."

They both fell asleep soon after, with Bella dozing off at the sound of Paul's heartbeats and his hand drawing circles on her back. Paul was too tired from the venom to even think, but felt at ease with Bella laying next to him so peacefully. He wished that things would remain like that for a long while and fell asleep thinking of it: Just him and her, having their little world in the cramped bed, away from everyone and everything.


	11. Exchange

Alice walked in to the Cullen's new home fully knowing what was going to happen – literally. Beyond Esme's drawing room, their old living room sat just slightly differently from the way it did in Forks; and Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Jasper were waiting there. The moment she opened the door, Edward jumped from his seat to reach out for Alice.

"Before you say anything, Edward." Alice narrowed her eyes and pushed all her memories from the past day onto her adoptive brother, but he only seemed to get more upset than he already was and ignored completely what she was trying to show him.

"I have no intention of letting you mess with me, Alice!" He spat. "You broke your promise. You were not supposed to show at her place, at all! We were supposed to vanish like we weren't even there to begin with."

"I'm with Edward, you shouldn't have gone." Rosalie seconded. Alice glared at the blonde before turning her way.

"You were supposed to keep your mouth shut. There was no need for Edward to find out." Alice frowned. "I told you I wasn't sure!"

"Sure, or not, Alice, you've caused major damage." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer. "She didn't need to see you, at all. Do you think she's going to take well being left behind again? Did you even think about your visit's consequences?"

Alice grew angrier, and she could feel how Jasper was trying to contain the room. Edward was beyond pissed and was trying to block himself from reading any of her thoughts, and Rosalie was silently backing the oldest of them. Emmett and Jasper remained silent, but she knew that they wouldn't interfere just yet, and that they were leaving all the discussion to them three. She broke free from Edward's hold and rushed to the other side of the room. She then again projected all her memories, making sure to overwhelm Edward in the process.

"The monsters next door got her though!" She whined, making her adoptive siblings and Jasper frown in confusion. "Don't you see it? Leaving only put her in more danger! She's in the wolf's den – to put it in a way."

Edward's eyes widened. "Quileutes." He whispered. "You met the wolves again…" Alice furiously nodded and as her brother walked to her and shook her by the shoulders. "Are you sure Bella is with them?  _How_?"

"It's a long story." She replied awkwardly, taking Edward off her and then rushing to Jasper's side. "It will be better if we talk when Carlisle and Esme are here. They won't take much from the hospital."

* * *

Carlisle Cullen arrived home to all his adoptive children sitting down in the living room while waiting grimly for him. Esme was as surprised as her husband when she walked in just a little after. Carlisle could sense that something was off – Edward, who had been away the past few months was sitting aside from everyone else. The other pair of couples were less estranged but had made themselves scarce not long ago too, making it the first time in a while that all of them had been together since their departure from Forks.

"Carlisle." Edward broke silence. "Hello."

Edward stood and looked at him with hurt and pleading eyes, which only made his face look younger. The head of the Cullen Clan approached his adoptive son and embraced him both in shock and gratitude, knowing that Edward had put distance for a very specific reason.

"What brings you here?" He mumbled. "I thought you would be south."

"Alice… She met with Bella earlier today and got us into a situation." He whispered, as the doctor set eyes on his 'youngest' daughter.

"And what would that be?" He raised an eyebrow, worried.

"I am afraid she might have broken the treaty made with the Quileute." Edward said after a long pause. Carlisle's eyes widened and so did Esme's. Their eyes hoovered over Emmett and Rosalie who looked unmuted by the statement, and then posed themselves on Jasper and Alice, with the later fidgeting in embarrassment. "Don't panic just yet, though. I think you would like to hear what happened first."

Carlisle sat in the living room next to Esme, with all their children facing right at them. Everyone's eyes went to Alice as she cleared her voice and started telling her story: Her newfound inability to see wolves and what led her to believe Bella had jumped off to her apparent death, her desire to help Charlie through a rough time, and then about finding out about Bella's wellbeing, Victoria being after her, and the pack compromising her wellbeing even further.

"He looked at her with possessiveness… almost like how vampires stare at their mates when they're in danger." Alice explained, making Edward uncomfortable. "I couldn't just let Bella be taken into their lives like that. Didn't Edward say that they were unstable and prone to fight? He jumped me even though Bella was on his way."

"Well… Alice, I am not sure about anything like that, I mean, I know very little of them – extremely little if I must say." Carlisle admitted. "They weren't welcoming the first time, and now that you've bitten Paul this won't get easier on us. Most likely, you broke the treaty by doing that, which means we won't be able to return to Forks without putting up a fight."

"More reason to just take Bella!" Alice argued. "We could be able to finish Victoria if she remains with us, isn't that right? I would be able to see what she plans on doing as long as there are no wolves involved and we could outsmart her."

"Even if you were right, Alice, we can't just take Bella away." Carlisle sighed. "Have you thought that Bella has asked to remain with them because that's what she sees fit for herself? And, I am sorry for what about to say, especially to you Edward, but what if he is indeed Bella's mate? Maybe she's chosen him and all we can do about it is not do anything at all. The best choice isn't always to jump into things and get invested."

"I think we should go." Edward said. "I left her to keep her away from this world… and staying away seems useless at this point. For what Alice has said… I think we owe Bella to come back and fix everything."

"Are you listening to yourselves?" Carlisle raised his voice, maybe for the first time in decades. "We can't go back without the treaty as insurance. You will end up hurt! Or worse, you could hurt Bella in the process!  _Again!_ "

"Well, I am not letting her endanger herself like this!" Alice was flustered. "And if you don't want to follow, you don't have to. None of you." She then turned to the rest of the clan with a glare, Jasper included. "If you want to follow though, I'll leave early in the morning tomorrow." She announced.

"I'm coming." Edward said. "There's no way I'm not protecting her."

Both vampires looked at each other and left in opposite directions. They were so fast that nobody in the room was able to stop them before, Carlisle included. The rest looked at each other and, after just a moment, Jasper sighed loudly and went after his mate. Esme and Emmett looked at each other with concerned faces, Rosalie huffed and while looking upset she remained in her place, and Carlisle rubbed his face in annoyance while trying to come up with something to say.

"You can't let them go like this, Carlisle." Rosalie said coldly after a while. "They will get killed, you have to stop them."

"Once they set their minds to something, it's very hard to change their ways." Carlisle replied in defeat. "I think I should visit with them, too."

"And I will go with you." Esme immediately said.

"I guess we will, too." Emmett said.

" _We?_ " Rosalie laughed, incredulous. "Emmett, dear, you can go if you want to, but I won't join this crazy adventure of theirs and indulge on their crazyness, and neither should any of you, I must say."

"Well, Rose, it's not like we have much of an option." Carlisle said in his calm tone once more. "Our best bet right now is to come along and prevent as much backlash as we can." Carlisle walked out of the room with Esme behind him, probably to prepare for their trip, leaving the blond and her mate alone.

"Babe, you have to understand… it's for her safety." Emmett pleaded to her. "Aren't you even a little invested?"

"She is not part of this family anymore." Rose exclaimed coldly. "She's fine with whom is taking care of her and I think we should respect that. She might not be dealing only with vampires, but she seems to be around creatures more human than us. She even seems to have a mate – someone to spend her life with. Her human life."

"You're taking this way too personally, Rose." The taller one said.

"Well, someone has to care for her, and even if I don't like her, I think she has a right to choose something beyond this unchanging and forever-the-same lifestyle."

"Are you caring for her by not helping out?"

"She's being taken care of! Understand!" Rose spat. "I won't be someone that takes her away from her home once more." She said, remembering how awful it was to set up her father to believe she was leaving the time James tried to play his twisted game.

"Okay, do as you please." Emmett said in anger, storming out.

Rosalie tried to relax but the rash decisions everyone was making were driving her crazy. While she understood reasons for Esme and Carlisle, her adoptive siblings and her husband were infinitely crazy for attempting to go back on a land that had been compromised, to 'rescue' a human girl nonetheless. It was hard to imagine it, but Rosalie actually believed that they had no place in Bella's life anymore, and more than trying to prove this to her clan, she was trying to prevent Bella from suffering the consequences of their selfishness. It was to ask too much of a human like Bella to choose between two mythological creatures, one of which was designed to draw her in and mesmerize her out of her senses. While she hoped that her family didn't attempt anything to crazy right away, she became anxious about the outcome of a three-way conflict between Victoria, the wolves, and her family. Frustrated, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number she never thought she would. It rang only one time before someone picked up.

" _This is Gianna, how can I help you?_ " A voice with a thick Italian accent answered the phone.


	12. One with silence

When Bella woke up, it was already dark outside and her whole house remained silent. Paul was still next to her, asleep. His chest went up and down slowly and, although he still felt burning hot, his temperature had gone down a few degrees. For the first time in a while she didn't have a nightmare and had some actual energizing rest. Without turning on the light and relying on the faint shine of the moon, she tidied up around Paul the best she could and proceeded to clean his wound the quickest she could. He grumbled a little but showed no signs of waking up. She smiled to herself, thinking that he looked like any other teen when he slept.

It was amazing how fast she grew fond of the hotheaded wolf, and how comfortable she felt around him, but then she thought that in the current situation, it was almost impossible not to. Her mind unconsciously wandered into the idea of Edward, and how different he had been from Paul and Jacob. The first was so mesmerizing and intriguingly pessimistic, while the later were the complete opposites in different measures – if Jacob was a ray of sunshine then Edward was a rainy day in Forks, making Paul something like the warm blaze from a fire, with all the danger that that entailed. Even though Bella felt more comfortable around Jacob's sun beaming personality, Paul was much more mesmerizing and endearing.

The sound of the front door closing brought her back into reality, and then the sound of Charlie moving around pots and pans made her a little more aware that it wasn't just her and Paul in the house anymore. Glad that Paul was still sleeping, she made her way out of the room quietly before giving her father any chance to come knocking on her door. The lights in the hallway hurt her eyes and she realized she was still a little bit groggy from the long nap, so she barely noticed that the noise downstairs was increasingly getting louder. When she was nearing the end of the stairs, she spotted her father struggling to come up with a meal of sorts while still wearing his black suit, tie hanging from his neck. He was looking at a pot in defeat, like he was about to cry, which made Bella flinch to herself.

"Dad." Bella called out. "Sorry, I fell asleep all afternoon. I will make you dinner, don't worry." She took the pan that Charlie was holding and made him scoot to take over the place in front of the stove.

Charlie hesitated to step back, but he finally did as Bella started reaching into the shelves. He went up to the fridge and took a can of beer out, to sit down right after with a tired semblance and observe his daughter put hands to work. The past couple days were hard on him and his daughter was more than willing to give him a little breather from everything right that moment. She wondered how he felt when she was in that zombie-like state and felt guilty thinking that Charlie struggled with her for so long.

"How was the wake?" Bella asked timidly, hoping not to make his father feel to overwhelmed.

"It was fine." Charlie mumbled before taking a sip of beer. "Sue and the kids… well, who can blame them? They cried the whole time. A lot of people showed up, even Jake's friends were hanging around. Billy seemed a little too upset and grim, but I can understand it – after all, he was closer friends with Harry for longer than we have been." he sighed. "I'm just glad it's over."

"What about the burial?"

"Harry's being cremated so there won't be any." he replied dryly. "He never liked the idea of being buried… After the first heart attack he realized that it was better to plan ahead for Sue and the kids, so he put down a lot of things in his will. If they only reached out before." Charlie lamented. "They were very distant these past days."

"Dad… Harry and Su didn't want to worry you, and there's no way you could've seen his heart attack coming anyway. I bet will Sue will be back to her normal self once everything settles down and she will reach out when she needs help. It'll be alright." Bella comforted her dad while focusing on her cooking. Charlie had propped his elbows in the kitchen table and buried his face between his hands.

"Yeah…" Charlie took a breath in and lifted his face to observe his daughter's back, then narrowed his eyes. "How about you? Did you meet Alice?"

"Yeah." Bella said between her teeth, trying hard not to sound upset. She tried her best to sound nonchalant. "She came, and we spoke a little but then things got awkward when Paul showed up to hang out, so she just left."

"Did she tell you why she's here?" Charlie was trying to be cautious about his questions. He was worried that the visit of the Cullen girl would come with the news of more Cullen family members coming by, after all. "Are they…?"

"They're not coming back, if that's what you're asking. At least she never said they would." Bella replied bluntly, as it had started to become a habit for her. "To be honest, we didn't talk much about her family. I admit I was a little curious as to what happened but, when the time came, I had no interest in it."

"Oh." Charlie was ecstatic to hear that but kept it to himself for the time being. After a long time of stepping on eggshells, the Chief felt like he could see his daughter becoming her own person again. "I'm glad you met her and got some… closure, I guess."

"Yeah, me too." Bella mumbled with a half-smile.

The next few minutes went by in silence as Bella finished up Charlie's dinner and he sipped on his beer while trying to forget the mayhem that the past few days had been. A plate of gratin potatoes was placed in front of her father and another had been loaded with the rest to feed Paul. Charlie dug into the food and ate, while Bella tried to sneak out with the full plate and cutlery.

"Where are you going, kiddo?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm eating in my room. I have a test tomorrow, so I will just study for now." She sort of lied sort of not. She did have a calculus test the following day but all she wanted was to rush back to Paul upstairs before he woke up.

"Okay… Just don't overdo it." Charlie said. "Sleep early."

"Yeah, goodnight." She replied and left before her father could wish her goodnight back.

Bella ran up the stairs, or at least she tried, and the moment her bedroom door closed behind her she locked the door. It took her a couple seconds to realize that the lights were on and that Paul was seating at the edge of the bed with a pained look on his face.

"I just woke up, sorry."

"What are you doing?" Bella rushed to his side and checked on the wound, that looked a little better but wasn't closed just yet. "You should lie down and rest."

"I'm feeling a lot better." Paul complained. "It's not like I have broken legs or anything, it's just a leech bite."

"Paul." She reproached him and frowned. She put down the plate on her desk to then frantically look for the first aid kit and try to tidy things around. "You should seriously lie down."

"Bella, stop." Paul reached out to grab her by the arm. "This thing is wearing off fast enough, at least for me to sit down properly. Don't freak out, please."

Paul's eyes were pleading, and she gave in to them in no time. It was hard to not believe him.

"I just… It's just that this morning you looked awful, you were in so much pain – I seriously thought that you were going to die or something. Alice shouldn't have done that." She bit her lip in anger.

"We're made to survive this kind of thing, Swan." He pulled her towards the bed, making her sit down next to him. "I would need to be in pretty bad shape for a bite like that to kill me off, and you're not getting rid of me that easily anyways."

"You still had it pretty rough today." Bella refuted. "Billy said that you won't be able to move around so much."

"That's just routine." He sighed. "I just feel sore and hungry, being honest. Worry about it if I'm not up and running by tomorrow afternoon."

"Are you sure?" Bella raised an eyebrow.

"As sure as I can be." He replied, and a playful smile appeared on his face. "Now, what's that to eat? I'm dying for some good food."

Bella reached for the plate and remained with it in her hands, waiting for Paul to climb back up and at least sit more comfortably. He seemed to know what she was thinking, because he immediately settled on the bed and gave her a smirk, although she could tell it had hurt him.

"You can eat it all." Bella said while putting the plate on Paul's lap.

"Did you have dinner already?" Paul asked while eyeing the food.

"Not really, but I'm not hungry so don't worry." Bella dismissed him. She prepared to sit down in the desk chair, but Paul got a grip of her before. Her stomach grumbled and she felt her face burn in embarrassment.

"When did you last eat?" He sounded angry. "You can't go on skipping meals."

Bella stared blankly at Paul for a minute before opening her mouth to state that she had eaten recently, but nothing came out. She remembered not having breakfast or lunch, and she was pretty sure she had skipped dinner the day before. Paul raised an eyebrow, having caught up to the same conclusion she did: It had been way too long.

"Come, let's share." He pulled her so that she sat down next to him in the bed and dug into the food with the fork she brought. "Say 'ahh'."

"What am I? A five-year-old?" Bella complained at the sight of the fork loaded with food.

"With your eating habits, one might think so." Paul blurted. "Eat, c'mon."

Bella reluctantly bit into the food and chewed slowly. She had never been a great eater, and she would give that to Paul, and now eating in front of him was a bit embarrassing. He kept on eating himself before loading another fork for her and pushing it lightly at her lips. She reluctantly accepted the food and they continued the same routine with the food until it was completely gone. She gave credit to Paul, since she noticed he slowed down his meal just for her. By the end, she found the event amusing. Who would think Paul Lahote would be so caring? Wasn't him who was hurt?

"Sorry for manhandling you to eat your food." Paul said while putting the plate next to him. "It's better if you don't die of starvation though."

Bella's eyes opened big and she felt a little confused. She never thought of Paul manhandling her in any sense – if anything, he was the person that did it the least. She shrugged to appease the wolf.

"I'm used to it."

Paul's gaze became cold and it reflected the rash person she knew him to be, but he remained calm at the end, or at least enough to ask something between his teeth. "How come?"

"Well…" Bella couldn't find the right words. "It's complicated, but I'm well aware of how  _human_  I am. The Cullens were always talking about how easily I can get hurt, and since the whole Victoria thing started… well, it's been hard not to be in the constant watch of Jacob. I appreciate the concern, and I know that I'm a walking accident waiting to happen so it's not like I don't understand why you guys do it. Also, I don't really think you push me around."

Paul let out a low growl before burying his face on Bella's shoulders. She felt flustered but didn't move away. Bella's skin burned were Paul's face was resting.

"Don't let us make you think like that, Bella." He mumbled. "It's true that we are stronger than you, but that's a given since we are not human. You're your own person and, being completely honest, everyone has been forcing their opinions on you and that's not good. I'm not a nice person, in fact, there's a lot that you wouldn't like about me if I were to tell you, so don't go on assuming that it's because we are overprotective. I have my ulterior motives, and so do Jake and the leech. Even though I don't think we did it with the wrong idea on mind, I can at least speak for Jake and I that we are dumbasses and know no better way of conveying things. As for the leech, I'm glad he's not making decisions for you anymore."

Bella was appalled, and it took her a moment to come to terms with what Paul had said. It itched her to know what he meant and, above all, it made conscious of how well the wolf had observed her and her relationships all around. She had never noticed how concerning it was the way she handled her relationships. Did the Cullens have ulterior motives when they decided to do what they did while she knew them? She was sure that Jacob could play with her mind, but it never stoke her as odd that the Cullens did too. As for himself…

"What ulterior motives do you have?" She asked bluntly.

Paul raised his head and looked at her straight in the eyes with those black pools of his. "You will know eventually, I promise that I will make myself clear soon."

Bella jerked away her face, suddenly blushed from the realization that his face was inches away from hers. She stood up robotically, took the plate, and walked to the door.

"I will go downstairs and do the dishes." She mumbled, before rushing out of the room.

Her heart was pounding against her chest and her face felt hot. Somehow, the answer seemed so genuine, it felt like a confession. The feeling of being around Paul, whatever it was, had become intoxicating and Bella couldn't help herself. For a split second she felt like drowning in his eyes. She shook it off as concern for his health and all the time they had spent together through the week. Once downstairs, she found Charlie asleep in the living room and, rather than waking him up, she laid blanket and cleaned the space around him. She did the dished silently and as slowly as possible, avoiding having to go back upstairs.

When there was nothing left to do, she reluctantly went back upstairs and felt relieved when she saw that the lights in her room were off, indicating that Paul had most likely gone back to sleep. She opened the door and saw the guy's chest going up and down slowly. While tiptoeing around the room she reached for a blanket and a pillow, to sleep in the ground and avoid bothering Paul.

"What are you doing?" Was all he said before she heard him rustle a little around the bed to make her some space.

"I c-can sleep on the floor." She stuttered.

"It's alright if you want to, but I seriously don't mind sleeping like  _that_  again." Paul mumbled.

Bella knew what he was going. He was letting her choose, he wasn't pushing her. She sighed, and thinking she would regret it in the morning, she sat down in the bed and made herself comfortable around Paul's presence.

"Don't worry, I have ulterior motives but not like that." He whispered behind Bella, his hot breath on her ear.

"I know." She said. "Good night."

"Night, Swan."

Bella thought that Paul had fallen asleep first, and it took her a moment to fully comeback to the thoughts of wanting to sleep. Her head was going around Paul for a while, until she fell asleep to the sound of his rhythmic breathing. Unbeknown to her, the teen was fully awake until late night, reproaching himself not telling her about the imprint just yet.


	13. Mercy

Like any other day in Forks, Bella got out of her truck to a slight drizzle. It was May already, but the cold still crept between her clothes as she tried her best to snuggle into her coat, slightly missing the warmth she had woken up to. Bella's cheeks lit up when she remembered that Paul had locked her between his arms at night, keeping her warm from the unusual mid-spring cold weather. She had slipped out of her room quietly that morning, so flustered she almost had forgotten about Paul's wound as the reason for Quil's wolf form present in her backyard. She let the Quileute teen come into the house after her father left for work, unsuspecting of both teen wolves, having prepared him and Paul a bountiful breakfast before leaving for school. She thought to herself that it was the least she could do for them.

"Bella!" Angela's familiar voice called from the entrance of the school as she neared it. Her and Ben's hands were tangled together and rested together in her coat's pocket.

"Ang." Bella smiled, tightening her pace to reach the entrance.

"Where did you hide these past days?" Her friend asked, concerned.

"I had some stuff going on at home, so I was down by La Push with my dad." Bella shrugged, trying to avoid any topic related to the previous day's events. "I needed to come today since we have calculus test."

Behind Angela, Jessica and Lauren were eyeing Bella with that condescending look she so much hated on them, huffing and giggling between each other. When she first came out of the zombie state, they would look at her like she had the plague and would avoid any interactions, but since Bella started going down to the reservation to spend time with Jacob they had started acting like they always did around her, much to her annoyance. Angela rolled her eyes and mouthed something to Bella that looked like ' _forget about them_ ' to which she only smiled and nodded. She also noted Eric and Mike looking her direction, but they didn't even peep at Bella's direction.

"So, did you study?" Angela tried to change the subject. "Ben and I tried to, but we ended up fooling around every single time."

"Not really my fault." Ben complained.

"I did, actually." Bella half-smiled when she remembered her afternoon with Paul. "I had a friend go over it with me."

"Uhhh" Angela dragged the sound with a smirk. "Is it the same friend you've been hanging out with? What's his name, Jacob?"

"Will tell you later." Bella said as the bell rang, saving her by a hair. "Will see you at lunch?" She asked before leaving for her first period.

"Lunch it'll be." Angela replied with a smile.

* * *

One of the few things that Bella loved about her first period is that her electives were all different from pretty much those of everyone in her friend group. She found that pouring herself into the class without having to worry about anyone she knew was a much-needed break, and the feeling went on from first period throughout the rest of her classes. By lunch time, she had almost forgotten about Lauren and Jessica's sneaky looks of that morning. She bit her lips before going into the cafeteria, having a gut feeling that she would have to deal with something unpleasant, but went in anyways.

She grabbed some lunch and sat between Angela and Mike, with Ben to his girlfriend's right and Austin next to him. Lauren, Tyler, Jessica, Conner and Eric were all sitting across her. The seating arrangements made her feel like the dark side could easily gang up to openly ignore and put her down, a thought that made her shiver. For a little while, the table remained in relative silence despite some sideline conversations which made Bella feel a little calmer, that before Lauren looked at her and asked with a wicked smile:

"So… Bella, how was your little reunion with the Cullens? Are they finally coming back for you?"

Bella's heart dropped to the floor and she felt like she was about to vomit. "What?" She asked, incredulous. Angela stared at Lauren, angry.

"What do you care, Lauren? Jealous?" Lauren's cheeks turned red and she sent a deathly glare at Angela.

"C'mon, everyone knows that Alice Cullen was here for a couple days and that's the reason she skipped school." Lauren spat. "I just wanted to know how your little reunion went down. Did she finally give into your tears? Or did she ignore you and you cried yourself to sleep?" The blonde chuckled.

The table had become completely silent. Most eyes were on Bella, but those of her friends were shooting daggers at Lauren for being… well, Lauren. Some, like Tyler and Austin didn't know what to think or say, so they just stared at their lunches on the table. Nobody expected the conversation to take a positive turn and were patiently waiting for the blow up.

"Well, if I may say, Lauren…" Bella glared at her, surprising everyone with her composed tone. "I didn't come to school because my father's best friend passed away, and since it seems hard for you to grasp, I will remind you that I am more than my relationship with the Cullens. Alice Cullen was not in town because I asked her to come, nor I had a say on how long she stayed or when she came to Forks, for that matter. If I met with her, it's none of your sorry business. Ugh, you just made me lose my appetite." Bella pushed away her lunch and stood up, giving an apologetic look to Angela. "I will see you after school, I guess."

The brunette walked out, not before hearing some of the cold comments Lauren got from around the table. Bella didn't understand where the whole thing came from, but she was tired of letting other people have their way and stomp over her like it was nothing. She recalled her conversation with Paul and felt at ease to know that he was right to call out her willingness to please others over her own comfort as a bad habit. She went to her next class and waited there for lunch to be over with that on mind.

* * *

Bella couldn't really focus by the time of her Calculus test. It was her last period and she was eager to rush out of school and go back to nursing Paul. She also noted to herself that she still had to come to school the next day before she could spend the weekend not worrying about anything. Frustrated, she tried her best to remember what Paul had taught her. She hoovered over a problem for a few minutes before the wolf's voice resonated in her mind.

" _You should use the second derivative here._ "

A little more confident, she went over her exam in a better mood and managed to finish rather quickly.

Even though she complained about not studying, Angela finished almost at the same time and headed out of school with Bella. "How did it go?" She asked as they exited the room.

"Not as bad as thought." Bella replied with a shrug.

"Same." Angela mumbled. She was quiet and pensive, trying to come up with something to say after the cafeteria fiasco. "I'm sorry about Lauren." She blurted, being the only thing she could come up with.

"It's fine, none of your fault." Bella shook her head and gave her a smile.

"So…" Angela's eyes were full on curiosity, and Bella knew what she wanted to ask.

"I met with her." Bella confessed. Angela opened her mouth, making a big 'o' with her lips, and then closed it to think about what to say next. Bella chuckled at her friend, knowing that Angela didn't want to invade her privacy but was very curious to know what happened. "We spoke, but she didn't take well that I had moved on from her brother and freaked when she found out that I was hanging with La Push kids. It was awful and weird, but I wasn't going to let Lauren know that, you know?"

Both girls chuckled as they went by the school's entrance and towards the parking lot. Angela's eyes were full of excitement as she looked at Bella. "So, you are over Edward?"

"You sure have some selective memory." Bella joked. They approached her truck and she opened the door to put down her stuff, to then sigh and turn to look at her friend. "I guess I did. I was really worked up at the beginning, and all I could think was 'What would Edward think of this?' so I ended up doing some stupid things… I guess the guys from La Push made me snap out of it."

"You mean Jacob, right? That kid that went with you and Mike to the movies." Angela asked.

"Yeah, and not just him. The whole…  _gang_ ," Bella said to a lack of a better word other than pack, "and, more recently, a guy named Paul. They have all been quite nice about it."

"Uh, and who's this Paul?"

"No one in particular." Bella mumbled.

"But he must be, since you singled him out of the others in the group." Angela said with a kind smile. Bella was surprised by this statement, as she hadn't noticed herself, so she blushed in return. "So, who is he?"

"He's, uhm, Jake's friend, in a way." Bella explain half-assedly. "He was very moody and not at all nice when we first met, but he seems to have a kinder side to him. Because I got caught in trouble a couple days ago, he helped me out and we've been hanging out since. He was the one to tutor me for Calculus."

"And are you just hanging out, or are you  _hanging out_?" Angela wiggled her eyebrows at Bella, which made the later laugh out loud. "I'm being serious!" The girl pouted.

"Well… I don't know." Bella admitted, going back to her serious self. "I mean, it's different, and I wouldn't call it exactly platonic. He seems to get me, and I get him, that's it. It's not like what I have with Jake."

"So, you like Jake?"

Bella pondered for a second before letting her weight fall against her truck. "It's not like that either. He's a good guy, and I can see myself having romantic feelings for him, but I don't know if I actually  _will_ , you know?"

"And would you have romantic feelings for Paul?" Angela's voice had gotten softer, with a tone that seemed almost motherly.

"I mean, I don't know… I really don't know." Bella looked at her feet as she remembered the previous night, blushing once more. "I feel like it would not be good for me to catch feelings."

"So, it's not a no because you don't have any feelings or because you don't see yourself having feelings for him, but a no because you're afraid?"

Bella bit her lip, thinking that Angela read through her very well. "I wouldn't be able to say, you never know if he could fall in love with someone else." Bella said while remembering what Jacob told her about soulmates and imprinting, thinking that Paul nor Jacob had been subjects to one, and that it obviously wasn't going to be her. "Anyways, I need to sort my feelings with Jake before I start thinking of getting attached to another guy."

"You seem to be in good luck, then." Angela whispered as she looked behind Bella.

The brunette turned to find Jacob at the distance, getting down of the motorcycle they had fixed a few weeks back. He looked upset, but mostly tired. Angela observed as he approached the two of them and fidgeted while considering if she should leave or not. When the tall Quileute reached them and said nothing, she understood that it was time for her to leave.

"Well, Bella, I will leave you two to talk." She half-smiled at both. "We will pick this up another time."

"Bye, Ang." Bella murmured, before seeing her friend rush to her car. Her eyes went back to Jacob for a while. "Why are you here Jake?"

Jacob stared her down, opening and closing his mouth from time to time. He seemed like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words to start the conversation. He wanted to apologize for the kiss but not really, as he also wanted to ask what her feelings for Paul were. He also wanted to just sweep her off her feet a run away with her, although it was quite impossible. He knew that Paul would always find himself a way to be near her. His imprint. Bella. He growled in frustration while Bella observed silently. She wanted to understand what was going on but couldn't read into Jacob's eyes past the frustration and the pain.

"So?" She asked cautiously.

"I came to apologize." Jacob finally said. "I was an ass about the whole Alice thing and it ended up back firing on me. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, and for testing you. I was a coward, you were right. I acted rashly, and I deserved even more than you being pissed or just screaming at me. I'm really, really, sorry. For real, Bells."

"I-I guess I can overlook it this time." Bella sighed, being unable to reject her friend's sincere apology. "Just don't be an idiot again and we will be alright, okay?"

Jacob's eyes looked straight into Bella's as he winced. "Actually, I might be an idiot again just now."

"How come?" Bella raised an eyebrow, concerned.

"Do you remember what I told you about imprinting?"

"Don't tell me you already…" Bella was shocked but was soon cut off by Jake shaking his head.

"Not me." Jake mumbled. "Paul."

"Paul imprinted? On who? When?" She asked, taken aback by her friend's statement. She felt her heart jump painfully in her chest while thinking of the possibility that she was currently keeping Paul away from his imprint. "Jake?"

"A couple days ago, he… well, he imprinted on you." He said.

Bella felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured on her. "Stop lying." She said grimly. "Don't do this, Jacob."

"I'm not lying, you can ask him yourself." He replied dryly, knowing that Bella was growing upset.

"This isn't true. We had seen each other before, we would've known since I confronted him weeks ago." She mumbled, holding back the tears and the anger. "Stop lying."

"But I'm not lying." Jacob argued. "It happened, I'm telling you. Just go to him and ask him."

"I can't believe you're being like this." Bella said, finally letting tears run down her face. "Is it another one of your tests?"

"Think what you want but let me tell you that I warned you about the truth." Jacob said. "I think you deserve to know and make your own choice about it."

Bella scoffed angrily, unable to think straight. She looked at Jacob, trying to find a sign that he wasn't being honest, unable to process the idea of being an imprint. The last bell rang, and Bella glanced at the wave of people leaving Forks High. She cleaned up her tears, not wanting to give Lauren Mallory or anyone else an excuse to pick her anymore. She looked back at Jacob, now visibly angry.

"Please leave."

The teen was reluctant. He wanted to say something, but Bella gave him a glare and he backed up, leaving to his motorcycle with a hurt look on his face. Bella took in a deep breath before entering her truck and driving away as soon as she had confirmed that Jacob was no longer in sight. Bella drove back home, set on finding out if what she had just heard was the truth, unable to decide what kind of reaction to have if it turned out true.


	14. Before you're gone.

Bella arrived home to the sight of Quil Ateara V sitting on her porch steps in his human form. He was wearing only a pair of cut off shorts and looked impatient while fidgeting and looking around. He jumped at the sight of Bella's truck but became instantly relieved when he noticed that it was her parking in the drive way. Bella took in a deep breath before jumping out of her truck, trying to guess why Quil could be waiting for her after his patrol had ended and hoping it wasn't because Jacob had warned him about anything.

"Bella! Thank god you arrived before Charlie, I was so worried." Bella raised an eyebrow and kept walking without saying peep. As she approached the house Quil seemed to get worried, which only fired her up. He stood up and towered her at the entrance. "I don't think it's a good time to go inside."

"Why?" Bella spat, still trying to go past him. "Quil, let me go in."

"Paul asked me to keep you out here for a sec, you see…" Quil tried to explain, but Bella was angrier than ever, and she would not take it right that moment. She needed to find Paul before he could think of a good enough way to dodge the subject.

"I don't care what Paul said." Bella interrupted him. "I need to talk to him."

"Woah, woah. I mean, it's really not a good time, Bella." Quil took her by the arm and Bella tried to shake him off, unsuccessfully. "Why are you upset? Bella? Paul's just…"

"I told you already that I don't care." Bella pulled hard enough to free her arm. She snuck past Quil and quickly went into the house, outsmarting him briefly.

"What the fuck?" Quil followed the girl inside and up the stairs, getting more flustered by the second and sneaking glances behind him. "Bella, would you care to tell me what's going on? What're you doing?"

Bella threw her bedroom door wide open to find her bed unmade and empty. She looked around for any signs of Paul, until she heard the muffled sound of the shower next door and froze in her place.

"Paul's taking a shower, he said to keep you away since he didn't want to make you uncomfortable or something. I brought him clean clothes, but I wasn't sure when your dad was going to show up, so I just made watch." Quil explained as fast as he could before the brunette could cut him off again. "Is everything alright?"

Bella opened her mouth to say something and closed it right away, instead pulling Quil into the room and closing the door behind him, dropping herself to the floor. Quil was confused and equally worried. He didn't know what had triggered the odd behavior in the girl. Bella then looked at him with her eyes opened wide, showing him pain and confusion. The girl felt that all the courage she had built up on her way here had suddenly vanished. Her body felt heavy and her mind was a mess, with only one question running through her mind.

"Is it true?" Bella was able to mumble after a few seconds.

"Is what true?" The teen struggled to grasp what Bella was trying to ask, but one look at her and everything fell right into place. He clenched his fists and his jaw, having an idea of who was the cause of his anger. "Who told you?"

"So, it's true." Bella whispered to herself, still in disbelief. "He was telling me the truth."

The girl stared blankly at the floor, having lost track of herself and what was going on. Quil felt hot in every single part of his body and had a hard time trying to push his impulse of phasing to the back of his head, well knowing that if he did, it would only startle Bella even more. He knew who was the 'he' that Bella referred to. Quil clearly didn't know what kind of sick game Jake was playing, but he had had enough of his stupidity, and all he wanted to do was beat him up until he was unrecognizable. Quil was barely Paul's friend, but he didn't need to be more than a pack member to know that one shouldn't even think of doing something this upsetting to another's imprint, and Bella was his close enough friend that he didn't want people to toy her around – especially Jacob. To first kiss her in hopes she would choose him and then to put on her shoulders the weight of a mystical and bounding relationship to another male subject when plan A didn't work out, well, it was almost despicable. The guy squatted down and tried to pull Bella away from her catatonic state. He first called her name quietly, but she was still unresponsive. He was about to start shaking her when the sound of a vehicle over gravel caught their attention.

"Charlie." She muttered.

The girl suddenly stood up, panicked, moving and fidgeting around herself before setting eyes on Quil.

"Out." She said as she started pushing him towards his window, knowing that worse than one boy naked in the house was two naked boys in the house, or one and a half at least. "You have to leave,  _now_."

Quil didn't find the time to say anything and, before he knew it, he was jumping out of Bella's bedroom window into the Swan's backyard and rushing right into the forest line that rested nearby. He phased and rushed back to La Push, hoping that he would find Jacob before he fucked up even further. Bella, in the other hand, had the feeling that she wasn't going to sell to Charlie the idea of Paul Lahote having a shower in the house without some credible backstory, but it was a fact that she could not lie even to save her life. She was better at hiding things than staging them. Her mind worked at a thousand miles per hour trying to figure out what to do, panicking more every second that passed by. When Charlie walked into the house Bella had just one way out but was too flustered to do it.

"Bella!" Charlie called.

At that very moment, Bella rushed into the bathroom and closed the door quietly, trying her best to remain with her back towards Paul. The wolf was startled when he saw Bella's small frame appear suddenly in the small bathroom, and for a second felt rather upset with Quil for letting her go in.

"Bella, what the…" Bella shushed him rather quickly, not letting him finish. Paul became even more startled and, realizing that he was completely naked, he – for the first time in a long time – had blushed. He pushed himself against the curtain, trying to cover as much as possible, but due to his height he could see from above the rod that held it in place. Paul couldn't see her, but by the color of her nape and ears he could already guess that Bella was as red as a tomato.

" _Charlie's home_." She whispered, still facing the door.

There was a moment of silence when both could hear Charlie's heavy steps going up the stairs. Both teens held their breaths in, waiting for Charlie to enter his room or do something else, to allow them to leave the bathroom without him noticing Paul. A knock on the door made both jump slightly.

" _Bells_?" Charlie's voice was muffled through the door. Bella took a couple of steps back without looking, hoping that her father wouldn't notice how strangely close she was to the door.

"Yes?"

" _I just came by to pick up some things. I'm staying in the station tonight."_ He replied _. "Do you think you could hand me my toothbrush and toothpaste?_ "

Bella sighed heavily in relief. "Just one second." She said and then quickly grabbed onto a robe to pretend she had gotten out of the shower. Bella took his toothbrush and a toothpaste tube from the sink and opened the door just enough for her hand to go through and quickly handed Charlie what he asked for.

"Thanks, kiddo." Charlie said, before walking away.

Bella dropped to the floor quietly, with her heart beating so hard it made her ears pound. She forgot about Paul's naked presence until he cleared his throat while still covering as much as he could with the shower curtain.

"I will just stay here until Charlie's gone." Bella muttered, embarrassed, still without having looked back.

"Good." Paul mumbled back.

The water kept running, preventing them from talking. Bella wanted to blurt out what she knew and demand an explanation from Paul. She had a lot of questions running through her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask any of them. Paul was just as stiff as a log, he didn't know what to do or what to say. It was embarrassing enough that Bella had decided to barge into the bathroom, and it bothered him how much it bothered her. He wanted her to feel more comfortable with him around… in all forms.

"I think he's leaving." Bella said when she heard the front door slamming shut. "I'll leave."

Bella rushed out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Paul confused and a little embarrassed. After a few deep breaths she went down the stairs and went right outside, to her truck. Nervous and panicking she tried to start it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it properly as her hands kept shaking and her breathing became more irregular. Bella couldn't tell how much time had passed between the shower incident and her nth attempt to start her truck, but when she lifted her gaze she was able to see Paul running out of the house, choppily cut hair still wet, wearing cut off shorts, tennis shoes, and an old sweatshirt that was almost tight on his body. Paul ran towards the truck, worried. Bella wondered how out of her mind she looked, and became more anxious as Paul approached the truck, unable to make a coherent thought. A bunch of images scrambled together in her mind and flashed around her – many of them involving Edward leaving her behind easily, despite the so-called mate bond that they shared. How was imprinting different? She would be left behind at the end anyway.

"Bella?" Paul called from the other side of the glass when he finally reached the truck. She was hyperventilating already, and unable to respond to the guy, she went back into the task of starting the truck again. "What are you trying to do?" Paul opened the door and held Bella's arm, trying to get her to see him in the eye. "Bella? You okay?"

Bella had never experienced it, but she knew what was happening to her: She was in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. Paul sort of figured it out a moment later, so he took Bella into his arms princess style and carried her to the porch steps, were he sat her down and held her by the arms.

"Bella, I need you to look at me. Just fix your eyes on mine." The brunette tried her best to do it, and it took her a minute, but she managed to set her eyes in Paul's deep, black eyes. He then held her face between his hands and came close enough that their foreheads almost touched. He then took one of Bella's hands and put it over his chest. Bella started feeling a lot better from the warmth of Paul's body emanating so closely to her, but her respiration was still erratic. "Breathe with me."

Bella started to pace her breathing around Paul's deep breaths. Her heart calmed down and her mind started to clear and go back into reality. It was a weird feeling, but Paul became her rock in that moment, as if nothing else mattered around them. It took her a good while, maybe ten minutes, of just breathing along Paul to calm down, and when she seemed like she would be okay by herself, Paul ran inside and brought back a glass of water.

"So… is it okay if I ask what that was about out?" He said while handing her the glass and sitting down. Bella fidgeted for a little while her gaze went everywhere but directly to Paul. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just want to make sure you are okay."

"No, it's not like that." Bella's voice was raspy and low, which she didn't expect. It felt like she had cried all night. She remained silent for a little while more, and thanked Paul for not pressuring her in any way. He just sat there, waiting without a rush. She looked at him in the eye and took in a deep breath, preparing herself. "Jacob told me about the imprinting…" Her voice started loud but it became lower and thinner as she finished the sentence.

Paul became stiff, surprised. A wave of emotions surfed through his eyes and Bella knew that he was as surprised as she originally was. He didn't say anything, not for a minute, and then he just stood up and sat back down, hugging his legs towards himself and burying his face between his knees.

"I didn't want you to find out like that." Paul mumbled. Bella clenched her fists, now having fully confirmed what Jacob told her. She wasn't angry, or sad, or anything in particular… just a little scared. "I swear that I was going to tell you. I just needed some time to assimilate it."

"Wow." Was all that she could say.

"It was severely unexpected." Paul admitted.

"I-I don't really know what to think." Bella stuttered. "I don't think I can…"

"Don't say that." Paul quickly interrupted her. "At least not out loud."

"What am I supposed to say? Or do?" Bella asked, confused and defensive. "Should I jump from joy?"

"No. No…" Paul now raised his face. Bella's heart jumped painfully when she saw the sadness and brokenness in his face. "I know it's not ideal. I just… I wouldn't stand rejection right now, and it's totally not your fault or anything, but I don't know if I could control myself right now. I don't want to repeat Sam's mistakes."

The image of Emily's face ran through Bella's mind. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say. It's all so…  _sudden_." Bella blankly started at the floor, unable to process the truth completely. "Does it hurt?" She asked after a little while.

"Only if you're away for too long… or if I think of rejection." Paul admitted, still looking hurt.

"So, it does, at least a little." Bella wasn't asking.

"Yeah…"

They remained silent for a little time. Bella ran the options through her mind. She could bring herself to do anything. It was all too painfully familiar.

"I know that, you know, we didn't start off with the right foot." Paul began saying. "And it's not like I choose this either, or like I regret it, it was just beyond my understanding at the time. I had seen you before and nothing happened, and this whole thing was pretty instant for the others. I'm not asking you to be with me, at least if you don't want to. I know what pursuing something can turn out like when the other person is not interested… I just want to ask for you to get to know me. I'm going to be whatever  _you_  need me to be, and not the other way around. I-I just need a chance." The guy sounded so desperate and broken that Bella had a hard time understanding it was her who was going to have the last word. Despite everything, Paul kept putting her first, beyond his own feelings.

"…And what exactly are we doing?" Bella finally asked. Paul's face brightened up as soon as she spoke.

"I was thinking…" He coughed. "I was thinking we could do that trip we spoke about. And take it slow from there. We make the trip as… friends, if you will. We carry on as friends, or whatever you decide."

"How long are we going to stay up there?" Bella hugged her legs, mirroring Paul without noticing.

"We could stay over the weekend, just you and me, talking. Nothing else. No hidden intentions." Paul raised a hand and then put it over his heart.

"Who would know about this?" Bella raised an eyebrow.

"Sam to begin with… it's not like we can keep things from each other, but nobody will make a fuss about it before we leave." Paul explained, knowing that Bella was worried about Jacob knowing about it.

Bella thought long about it, and after a few minutes of looking at Paul and pondering silence she finally spoke. "Okay."

Paul was more than ecstatic. "Okay, just bring a change of clothes for the weekend and I'll take care of the rest. I'll pick you up after school tomorrow." He jumped and started running off to the tree line in front of Bella's house, no giving the brunette time to back out.

"Paul!" Bella screamed. "What am I supposed to tell Charlie?!"

Even if the guy heard her, he didn't reply. He had disappeared into the forest, probably running in his wolf form.


	15. Did you know?

Bella nervously threw her and Charlie's only rucksack into the copilot's seat of her truck before leaving home that morning. The rucksack was surprisingly light, with only a few extra layers and essentials to spend a few nights in the forest. She had been a little too scared to lie to her father about where she was going to be, so she just left a note saying that she would spend the weekend with Angela and how to reheat some meals, then heading to school a little earlier than usual to avoid Chief Swan as he came home from work. She wondered if Charlie would be suspicious of her but shook the thought off her mind. Charlie had been pushing for her to do 'normal teenage stuff' and going camping was fairly common for the kids her age.

Her old Chevy was the first car to park in the Forks High School parking lot. Bella stayed inside as she tried to calm herself before she had to face her friend group. She knew that Angela and the others would know something was going on, but Bella didn't want to give anything away that could trigger another attack from Lauren. Immersed in her thoughts, Bella didn't notice the parking lot filling up and her friends making their way to the entrance, were they would usually hang out. Angela noticed the brunette still in her truck and decided to sneak around and knock on her window. Bella jumped a little from the surprise but was quickly relieved to see her friend. She rolled down the window and made her best effort to draw a calm smile on her face, although it felt kind of unnatural to her.

"Hey, you're here early." Angela commented, giving her a sneaky smile. Unsurprisingly, her eyes soon traveled to the copilot's seat, were the old rucksack rested. "What's that for? I never took you for a hiking type of gal."

"Hey." Bella replied with a blush. "Oh, uhm, that. Yeah, I'll tell you about it over lunch. Do you think we can stay back for a few minutes after Chemistry?"

"Sure, I mean, is everything okay? You're being really secretive." Angela sharply commented.

"It has to do with yesterday, that's why." Bella said before clearing her throat. Even talking about Paul made her nervous.

"Well, that's new." Angela's sneaky smile grew bigger. "We shall talk at lunch then, but now, you have to come with me. Everyone wants to talk about prom."

Bella grunted unhappily, as she was the last person to be excited about prom. Last year's she went with Edward – obviously – and this one she wasn't in the mood to even discuss going by herself. Angela pouted from the other side of the door and the brunette somehow gave in. Bella reluctantly walked towards the group and spent the fifteen minute before class discussing dress colors and transportation arrangements, half-heartedly giving her input in the decisions being made.

* * *

Bella had been so immersed into her plans with Paul that the rest of the morning seemed to go by excruciatingly slowly. She was fidgeting by the time her Chemistry period came. Angela neglected her usual spot next to Ben to sit at Bella's table at the far back, where they would able to sneakily talk without having their teacher notice.

"Spill the beans." Angela whispered as soon as the teacher told everyone to work on their worksheets with their partners. Bella pretended to go over the paper while biting her lip. "C'mon, Bella."

"I'm going backpacking with Paul." Bella said quickly and under her breath, almost making Angela miss the whole thing.

"You are going to what with who?" Angela asked, shocked. "I thought that you said you guys were just starting to hang out."

"It's rather complicated." Bella said, to which Angela signaled her to elaborate. The brunette sighed, unable to phrase things so that they didn't sound so  _supernatural_. "You remember that Jake come over here yesterday?"

"Uh-huh." Angela replied while pretending to scribble on the worksheet.

Bella mimicked Angela and then looked up to see if Mr. Ramos was actually supervising the class. He wasn't. "Well… he caught wind of me and Paul hanging out and… somehow he got the truth out of him, and it turns out that he… likes me in a way."

Angela looked up to Mr. Ramos, and when the man turned the other way and opened a magazine, she put her pencil down and turned on her seat to fully face Bella. "And now you're telling me that you're going camping with this guy just because he likes you?" Angela was frowning, confused and concerned.

Bella understood where it was coming from. Just last year, she had thrown herself completely at Edward after just a couple weeks of knowing each other and the outcome of that didn't turn out well. It was normal for Angela to worry about Bella throwing herself to Paul after a few days without being aware that imprinting bonded them for life, whether Bella wanted or not. The brunette sighed, frustrated. She wanted to appease the black-haired girl's concerns.

"It's not like that with Paul." Bella knew exactly how she sounded and immediately regretted saying that as Angela's frown grew deeper. "I meant to say that we are not going camping as something  _romantic_. It's more like a friend's sort of thing."

"Yeah, and I was born yesterday." Angela huffed. "No guy that likes a girl will go camping alone with said girl without any ulterior motives. I know I encouraged this yesterday, but I thought you were going to hang out a little more before making anything major with the guy."

"Ang." Bella cried. She needed her friend to be on board with this as it was already too much work to deal with the imprinting on her own. Bella needed a support system. "Paul has made it very clear that he just wants to talk. We had planned on camping a while back, even before I started considering this whole thing a possibility. I'm not doing anything reckless, and neither is Paul. I… I know where my limits are. Edward was a mistake, one that kept me too infatuated to notice. With Paul it's not like that. He has been very adamant to getting to know each other before I even start considering this anything more than a friendship. I just need this one little thing from you, and I swear I will explain why this is so complicated later. Would you trust me?"

"I'll think about it." Angela said before turning to the table and starting to work on their worksheet quietly, ignoring her for the rest of the class.

When their class ended, Angela rushed out leaving Bella behind. The brunette had resigned herself to Angela's rejection of the idea of camping with Paul, and maybe the idea of Paul altogether. She packed things up and slowly walked to the cafeteria, where an empty seat waited for her in the usual table, now in the complete opposite side of Angela's seat. Nobody said anything at the table, not even Lauren. Everyone was too busy talking of prom that they didn't notice the two friends avoiding each other.

* * *

The day went on quietly after Angela's comment in Chemistry class. The whole conversation took Paul off Bella's mind, at least. The rest of the morning went by quicker for the brunette, who started to get nervous when she realized there were only five more minutes to her last period. When the bell rang, Bella snuck past her classmates as fast as she could, so she could reach Paul before a wave of students saw her leave campus with him. As she went past the front doors and saw into the parking lot, she spotted Paul's run-down pickup truck. He was waiting patiently while parked behind her truck. Bella looked around and was thankful that not many students were around. She felt Paul's gaze on her an rushed to where he was parked, not noticing a warm smile drawing on her face.

"Hey." She said a little out of breath when she reached Paul's side. He had rolled the window down and the warmth of the truck cabin hit her face.

"Hey." He replied with a smile.

"I have my stuff in the truck, just wait a bit." Bella looked again to confirm her friends weren't around and rushed to pull out the rucksack of the copilot's seat, throwing her school bag inside and locking the door. She went around Paul's truck to put the rucksack in the back and as she was about to open the door of the truck she heard someone calling for her.

"Bella, wait!" Angela screamed from the entrance. Ben was behind her, and so were Jessica, Lauren, and Mike. The black-haired girl ran towards her, cheeks colored a bright pink color. "I take it you don't mind what I have to say about this."

"Angela…" Bella started to say but was shut down by a shush from Angela.

"I know, I know. You know what you're doing. I just want you to be careful okay? I'm worried about you, that's all." Angela sighed in resignation and then gave Bella half a smile. "Call me when you're back. I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Ang." Bella smiled, happy that Angela was being reasonable.

"And you." She squinted and pointed at Paul, who had been quietly observing. "If something happens, I'm going to hold you accountable."

"Yes, ma'am." Paul replied with an amused look on his face.

"Take care." Angela gave her a tight hug.

Bella felt more relaxed when going up into Paul's truck. She buckled up and when Paul started driving she looked through the side mirror until Angela was no longer in view. She let a deep breath out, content with how things how turned out. She wondered if the rest of her friend knew where and with who she was going out. She hoped not and knew that Angela wouldn't want to be the one to tell them.

"A good friend?" Paul asked, bringing her back and reminding her that they were now alone.

"Uh, uhm, yeah." Bella replied quietly. "I would say one of my best friends."


	16. Know you like I do

If there was something that Bella found mesmerizing in Paul, it was the way he drove. She had thought it multiple times already – Paul was a natural driver – but it never really got old. She liked to think that in any other circumstances she would've been attracted to the guy, that she wouldn't ever get tired of seeing his profile while driving around. His very attractive profile. Being completely honest, by conventional means Paul was ridiculously handsome. Not to mention that his body was just as chiseled and well-built as the other wolves'. It was at times like these that Bella acknowledged her hormonal teenage urges. A rush of blood colored her cheeks a bright pink color as the thought crossed her mind, reminding her of the situation they were in.

"What's on your mind?" Paul asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Uh… nothing much." Bella didn't want to go over her thoughts once more.

"C'mon, you were thinking about something just now." Paul said with a half-smile.

Bella fidgeted nervously, trying to think of something to say to cover for what she was really thinking of. "I was wondering how you were before phasing." She wasn't, and at least she hadn't before, but now she was curious.

"That's… I mean, I wasn't much different from Jacob and the others." Paul sighed. "I didn't hang out with the right crowd, so I cared a little too much about building muscle – of course I wasn't even near what I am now. Maybe I had more of a baby face. Grew more than a few inches."

"I see." Bella mumbled. "Was it painful? You know, phasing. I remember Jacob being sick for days."

"Yes, it was." Paul said while clenching his jaw. "Probably more so than Jacob."

"Is that possible?" Bella asked, concerned and surprised.

"Oh, it is. I still think I didn't have it as bad as Embry, though." Paul said. "It first feels like a really bad cold, but then all of your body aches for days and you feel like you're burning inside out. Then one little thing sets you off and  _bam_  you phase, and it feels like you're imploding and exploding at the same time. It's not a walk in the park, but you get used to it."

"Does it still hurt?" Bella frowned, looking concerned. Paul glanced at her and have her a smile, trying to appease her.

"It gets better the more you control it." Paul said, not replying directly to Bella's answer. "Jacob and Sam have a good grasp of it. I am in the in-between with the rest. It hurts like a bitch when we phase without planning for it, which I probably do more often than others."

"So, you're telling me that it does."

"It's more like the feeling of being sore." Paul clarified before Bella could think of the worst. "I have learned my lessons, and it's been smooth sailing the past few days."

"I see…" Bella said, now looking at the road.

Paul wasn't sure of how the conversation was going. He was well aware that she could manage the supernatural, but it felt like even though she knew a bunch about vampires, she was falling short on wolf knowledge, which wasn't all happy things. The brunette had fallen quiet, but now she looked concerned and deep into her thoughts.

"You know, even though phasing sucks ass… I would never give it back up for a normal life." Paul said, trying to bring Bella back to reality. "I know I said that if it wasn't for the leeches my life would be better, but my life before the pack wasn't great either." Paul glanced at the girl, who now had an eyebrow raised.

"How so?"

"Well, I told you that my mom left when I was a brat right?" Bella nodded. "Well, after she left, and my dad brought me back to La Push, it was kind of obvious that I didn't fit in. I grew up in Tahoma, so the reservation wasn't the type of life I was used to. I missed my friends from school and the commodities of the city, so I started to get into trouble to see if my dad would send me back to my mom. She was in Port Angeles, at least I knew that much. But the old man never gave in, and that's when I found out that she was marrying some dude and moving to the east coast. I think I was in 7th grade at the time."

"I'm so sorry." Bella mumbled. "It must've been hard."

"It's alright." Paul said. "I never thought about it until I was older, but that wasn't more than a few months after the divorce. I guess my old man was trying to protect me from the truth. The dude was our neighbor in Tahoma."

"Paul…"

"Anyway," Paul said, interrupting whatever Bella had to say, not wanting her pity, "my old man tried to put me into place, but it never really worked. My friends were those kids who couldn't wait to get out of this place, and while I felt the same, deep down I wished I could belong. So, freshman year comes and suddenly Sam Uley wants to get to know me, and not even a few weeks pass by when I phase as my dad's giving me shit about trying harder in school. It sure scared the shit out of us, but Sam was already nearby to explain everything. Turns out we're all wolves and we need to protect La Push as a pack, from vampires nonetheless." His tone is somber, but Bella catches a hint of amusement in it.

"And you felt like you finally belong somewhere." Bella says, conscious of how well she knew the feeling Paul was talking about.

"Yeah… Sam and Jared were great for me." Paul unconsciously smiled. "I started feeling like there was more purpose to life than getting back to the city, and that for the first time in a while I had friends that actually cared. My dad… well, he was happy too, but I guess he felt guilty that we came back, or that he left to begin with. He didn't believe in the Quileute legends, and neither did I, until this happened. I guess he's thankful that I didn't phase in Tahoma where nobody else knew what was going on."

"How does your dad manage?" Bella asked, thinking that she wouldn't know how to tell Charlie about vampires and werewolves going around so close to him.

"He is doing better with all this." Paul shrugged. "He goes to work like always, tries to keep up with tribal stuff. The only thing that gets on his nerves is school, but at this rate I think we'll have to take upon homeschooling if we want to graduate."

"It sounds like everyone has a lot on their plates." Bella says. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Swan." Paul says as he makes a turn onto a dirt road. "It's not like you made the Cullens to move here. They were here before you."

"I can relate though." Bella says while looking at the road. "At least a little bit. Growing up with Reneé wasn't all that great. I don't think I ever spent more than a year or two at any school… by the time I came to Forks, I was just kind of used to never fitting in. Charlie and I were basically strangers and I knew nobody else around. Then, the Cullens just made it look like I was a part of their family since moment one… Before I knew it, I was ready to give my life up to stay with them forever after only a few weeks of dating. Not saying like that's similar to being in the pack, it just sounds like it."

Paul's hand held onto the stirring wheel so hard his knuckles became white. Bella didn't think her words would affect him so much, but then she reminded herself what turning into a vampire would mean in the pack's books. She shuddered at the thought of being Jacob and the pack's mortal enemy… Paul's mortal enemy.

"I won't deny that it was a rushed decision, but it felt like the right choice at the time." Bella mumbled, trying to override Paul's now-visible anger. "I had been ignored for the longest time – first by Reneé and Charlie, and then by others. When people at Forks decided that I wasn't as especial as they thought I'd be, they also started to drift away. The Cullens made it so easy for me to feel like I was especial, like I wasn't old boring Bella Swan. Well, that until they left, and I realized that I wasn't especial enough – not to them, at least."

"Well, that's not on you." Paul said grimly. "Don't let them decide how especial you feel. Damn, you're beyond especial, and I'm not saying this as your… your imprint, okay? Before everything happened, I-I had already thought that it takes some balls to take these supernatural things the way you did. And, let me tell you, you did great. Always taking it like a champ, always getting back on your feet."

"It wasn't always like that." Bella mumbled in return, blushed to the core. "I grieved Edward, the breakup, and everything in-between for the longest time. I didn't recognize myself anymore. I know you guys don't like to talk about it, but with the pack mentality I thought you'd knew from Jake."

"So?" Paul asked.

"So?" Bella asked back, confused.

"Bella… that just sounds like you were mourning your first boyfriend." Paul said. "A boyfriend who promised eternity and left without a good explanation. He was a fucking vampire, for god's sake. If you had reacted in any other way I would've thought that you weren't normal. His whole being is designed to get you hooked – you and any other human. I'm not saying it wasn't bad, I'm just being fair to the situation. You don't give yourself enough credit."

"Thanks." Bella replied quietly.

"Don't thank me for the truth." Paul said before going completely silent.

* * *

They drove like that for what seemed to be an eternity. Bella had memorized the spot they had chosen for the occasion: A camping site that was just a couple miles from the touristy spots for camping. Jared was to make rounds from time to time and they didn't want any hiker to spot a wolf the size of a black bear and report it.

"Sorry." Paul mumbled once they parked near the trail that would take them to the spot. "I don't mean to lecture you, it's just frustrating that people keep bringing you down and I can't do much to help."

"It's alright." She whispered back. "I'm sorry too…"

"We sure apologize a lot to each other." Paul noted, with a defeated laugh. "You, especially. For no reason."

Bella remained silent for a moment, thinking that Paul was indeed right. She gave him a pained smile. "So why don't we stop this?"

"What?" Paul said too quickly, having misunderstood Bella.

"I meant… Let's stop apologizing to each other. We are here to be honest to each other and to figure out how to manage this." Bella explained. She exhaled and looked out the window for a moment. She wanted to ease things on Paul as much as she could. "From now on, I will try to be more proactive about defending myself, so you can cut back on your lecturing. And you have to stop being so selfless about me. I want you to have somewhat of a choice too. No more imprinting talk, no more overprotectiveness. I will call when I need help."

"Bella…"

"No buts. If I'm going to do something to ease your nerves, you can do this for me. I know I look like a damsel in distress, but you can also treat me like that from time to time. I want to feel more independent."

"Uh…" Paul first seemed conflicted, but then he laughed. "I guess this was your first step towards proactiveness. I can't deny anything to you. Ah, I didn't mean it like that, you know, it's kind of true but… ugh, let's just say I agree." Paul finished rambling.

Bella's bubbly laugh filled the cabin of the truck and Paul felt relief run through his body.

"I think we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Paul nodded, amused. "I guess we do."

* * *

The teens had to walk a little over twenty minutes to their camping spot. Paul didn't let Bella carry anything but her own rucksack – for time's sake more than helping Bella out. The brunette insisted in taking her own bag at least, knowing that Paul could easily carry all their camping gear and his own bag. They spoke about school, patrolling, and a little more about Angela, on their way to the camp.

"You should meet her sometime." Bella mentioned without thinking, which drew a big smile in Paul's face.

"Yeah, I should."

Bella told him about the good times with Angela. How she was still the only one to actually care for her. Of course, there was Ben and their other friends, but they were more tolerant than what they were fond of Bella.

"I feel like she's the first real friend that I've ever had. Like a normal, real, friend." Bella mentions as they get into the steeper part of the trail. "Someone I can talk to and feel normal."

"I get what you mean." Paul said, with a half-smile. "I hate to admit this, because he's probably listening right now, but Jared's like my best friend."

Before Bella could say or ask anything, a soft howl reached them.

"Eavesdropper." Paul muttered, to which Bella laughed again.

"What made you guys so close?" She asked.

"I don't know." Paul said, shrugging. "I mean, the wolf thing kind of keeps us together, you know? We are all brothers and we all care for each other, even when we butt heads. But with Jared… I guess it was just the two of us under Sam's wing for such a long time that we understand each other better than the others. He's also reserved, and I like when people stay out of my business."

"Oh…" Bella said, knowing that she had ben nosy and had asked him a bunch of personal questions.

"Not that you have been intruding my space, I like sharing things with you." He said with a smile, then ruffled her hair. "Also, it's different to tell you stuff than to have a bunch of teenage dudes trying to pick at your mind all day."

"What do they think about? What do  _you_  think about?"

"It's better if you don't know." Paul said with a playful smile.

"Gross." Bella said, laughing again.

If Bella just kept on laughing like that all weekend, Paul would consider himself the luckiest man alive.


	17. Weak when you're around

It didn't take long for Bella and Paul to settle on their camping spot – Paul had gracefully put up a two-person tent, made a nice little hang out spot with logs, and build an improvised fire pit. Bella stood there feeling clumsy and awkward. She wanted to do something but she wasn't pretty outdoors-inclined and had very little experience with anything that wasn't school or household related.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" She asked for the 10th time.

"Nah, I go camping with my old man pretty often, so I can handle it." Paul replied, but seeing Bella bite her bottom lip while sporting an uncomfortable look made him feel a sharp pain on his chest. "But…"

"Yes?" She immediately asked.

"I could use some help picking up some fire material. Try dry branches and twigs, if you can find some thick ones I might be able to break them."

"On it." She replied with a smile, which made Paul's heart jump on his chest.

Bella was soon far away, on the trail that had brought them up to their spot. Paul wasn't worried because he knew that Jared was still on the perimeter and he could hear her heavy breathing, the beating of her heart, and the way the dirt sank below her steps. If you asked him right at that moment, there wasn't anything better in the whole world. He soon understood what Sam and Jared felt, and was a little more okay with the idea of having an imprint. A few weeks ago, he would've said it was bullshit, that imprinting only took your freedom away and made you someone's slave. He hated the way Sam and Jared mooned around Emily and Kim, but as soon as Bella became a part of his life, he understood a little better the need to be near her, the impossibly annoying irk to know that she was doing alright. And more than wanting to give in to every demand, he felt relaxed and soothed by their interactions, and was happy to know that that somehow soothed and relaxed her too. It felt more like wanting to grow next to her. It was a little different for everyone, too. Emily and Sam kept each other grounded, Sam was given some normalcy around Emily and Emily something to work hard for. Jared was a cynic and Kim an optimist, although like oil and water they somehow complemented each other's views and were more in the middle together. He wondered what Bella brought out in him, and what he brought out in Bella.

"Done." Bella's voice brought Paul back to the present. "Anything else?"

Paul looked at the big pile of dry wood that Bella had collected and smirked with pride. "No, you've done great. Let's get this fire started."

Paul was more careful this time to include Bella in whatever he was doing. He taught her the basics of building a fire while the young girl put all her attention into his mini-explanation, soaking in all the camping knowledge she could. The sun was setting when they finally had a fire going; the temperature dropped just a few degrees and Paul brought Bella to sit closer to him, much to the brunette's embarrassment. She was lightly shivering, even though Paul's skin burned even through her clothes.

"I don't think I will ever get used to March being this cold." Bella mumbled through her shivers. "Arizona is so different this time a year."

"After phasing, I can barely feel the cold." Paul smirked, and Bella rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, your short sleeves say about that much." She hissed back. Paul had taken off half the clothes he wore to pick her up at school. She shivered once more and leaned forward to put her hands towards the fire.

"Do you miss Arizona much?" Paul asked after holding both her hands between his, warming her up more than the cold.

Bella's already pink cheeks turned fiercely red. "Not really. I mean, of course, but not like that."

"Explain." Paul said while raising an eyebrow, confused. Bella cozied up next the guy, and Paul tried to remain as still as possible, trying not to drive her away.

"Well…" Bella sighed. "You know that I moved a bunch, right?" Paul nodded quietly, giving Bella the chance to continue. "I don't really have a place where I can feel at home, so here or Arizona is pretty much the same. Well, maybe not so much now, but that's how I felt before. Living with Renee is pretty fun when you're five and everything is exciting, but after a few years, a parade of various boyfriends of various backgrounds, many different jobs, different houses, different schools, different states, it just feels like it would be the same anywhere, you get me?"

"Exactly how many different…?" Paul started asking, not sure of which one to ask about first.

"Well, it was hard to count the boyfriends. I knew they existed, but she never brought them home. She didn't want to get attached to them and then be disappointed when they left but judging by the array of pictures that she kept there were quite a few over the years. We lived pretty well sometimes, pretty bad some others. We always had a roof, and for that I am grateful. We moved often, depending on the boyfriend or the job, though. There were times in which we wouldn't even unpack in the new apartment because Reneé was already looking for something else after a week or two. That meant so many schools, at least 10 or 15, I lost count. By the time I was fifteen we had lived in California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and briefly in Colorado. Mostly in California and Arizona though."

"That's a lot of moving." Paul sighed, shocked to know how much Bella had moved around. "You guys never settled? Not even for a little bit?"

Bella gave him a pained smile, which to which Paul tried to remain silent. "Well, we lived in San Bernardino for two years, with my mom's mom in California. Reneé didn't like to visit much but I convinced her I wanted to stay there when I was like ten. As soon as she passed we moved again and kept on going. It wasn't until she met Phil when I was fifteen that we kind of settled. I lived in Arizona for two years before moving in with Charlie to give my mom some space with Phil."

Paul raised both eyebrows. "I would think that your mom already has all the space in the world. Did you really want to leave?"

"Well… I kind of did. The only consistent thing in my life was Charlie and my time in Forks… so when she remarried, I thought 'Why not?'." Bella shrugged. She looked at the fire and reminisced about her life before Forks, before vampires and wolves. She didn't necessarily miss it, but it did sound a lot less crazy. "I am a fan of Fork when it's not raining."

"Anything that makes it good?" Paul asked quietly. He didn't expect her to say his name, he genuinely wanted to know what had kept Bella around.

"At the beginning it was the Cullens…" Paul hinged, and Bella tried to move on as fast as she could. "But then, I realized how much I do love Charlie and I enjoy being in our house. Then it was Billy and Jake… the two-other people that were consistent in my life. Angela and the others, really my first group of friends. And now, the pack – you, Quil, Embry. You guys make it so fun to be around here."

"Thanks." Paul whispered with a micro-smile.

"Thank  _you_ , Lahote." Bella smiled back. "Now, tell me about you. Do you miss Tacoma?"

"Sometimes, sometimes not." Paul murmured. "I miss living with both my parents more than I miss Tacoma."

"If I'm not crossing a line here… do you still… well… talk to  _her_?" Bella dragged out the question, afraid that Paul would not like it, but he just brought her closer and sighed. "You don't have to answer."

"No, that's not the thing." Paul buried his face in her hair and let a breath of hot air out. Bella was surprised by the suddenly close gesture, but she let Paul do as he pleased. He then put his chin on top of her head, avoiding looking at her completely. "She sends birthday cards, and sometimes a Christmas gift or whatnot, but I haven't seen her since I was thirteen."

"I'm sorry, Paul." Bella grimaced. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no. It's alright." Paul started drawing circles on her forearm with his finger. "I have enough with my old man. We are good without her really. It's just kind of sad that she left without saying a word. I guess she just wasn't ready to be a mom."

"Do you like living with your dad in La Push?" Bella lifted her face and looked at Paul with her big brown doe-eyes. Paul got flustered at the proximity of their faces and looked away.

"I wouldn't say it's my favorite place, but it's really the only place where we belong." Paul sighed. "I told you before, but after this whole thing happened, me and my old man became closer. He changed as much as I did, in a way. He wasn't the worst, but he also wasn't the best. Now, everything is different. We only got each other to count on."

"You can count on me, too." Bella mumbled, which brought a smile to Paul's face. "I'm not the only one who has issues, so if you come to me, I'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Swan." Paul mumbled while bringing her closer to him.

* * *

The teens kept on talking until the fire was almost out. They had touched on many things, from families, friends, likes, dislikes to just anything anyone could ever talk about. The one thing that they both had managed to avoid was the Cullens.

Ever since their discussion at the car, it made them feel uncomfortable. Bella didn't want to upset Paul and Paul only grew frustrated as he heard of the leech that was sucking all life from the brunette girl. They both knew that the conversation was only a recipe for disaster, although it had to be done. Bella gathered all her courage before taking the first step into the mined field.

"Paul?" Bella said after a while of quietness. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yes?"

Bella sat upright and looked for Paul's eyes. The wolf was reluctant, but he couldn't resist it. "You have to promise to me not to freak out, okay?"

"Bella…" Paul sighed. He didn't like where the conversation was going.

"Promise me." She said vehemently.

"… Okay." Was all Paul could say.

"The day… the day you caught me when I was cliff diving." Paul's heart thumped in ache.

"Yes?" His voice was barely audible. What was she trying to tell him?

"I jumped… well, I jumped not because I was being stupid. I knew what was going on, how dangerous it was." Bella sighed, and Paul's body tensed up. He wanted to start shaking, to phase right then and there, but he only managed to hold on to Bella tightly. "I… uhm, I was in a really dark place. I couldn't understand how Edward could leave me behind after so many promises of, well,  _eternity_. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he wasn't going to be there anymore. The one person I saw as consistent. Eternally there.  _Poof_. Gone. After a couple of reckless things… it felt like he was  _there_. I felt like I could hear him and see him if I… If I put myself on the line. It was stupid, and reckless, and almost suicidal, and I'm going to need to work on things before I can say I'm okay and 100% back to be my old self… but with Jake, with the pack, and with  _you_ it's been so much easier to feel normal again. And now with all this Victoria thing going on, I just never found the right place and time to share this… with anyone."

Paul wanted to leave right then and there. He wanted to hunt the red-headed leech, he wanted to hunt down every single Cullen and wipe them out of the face of earth with a nice little fire. He wanted to scream at Bella, he wanted to reprimand her, he wanted to tell her how much the idea of her being gone hurt. There were so many things that he wanted to do and none of them were going to happen that night.

"I… I need a moment." He said, all choked up.

He pushed Bella form his side and rushed towards the tree line. He didn't phase. The last thing that he needed right now was to have Jared on his back, knowing what Bella had just confided in him. He didn't know that to spread around the pack before he could even process it by himself. So, he ran in his human form. He didn't necessarily look where he was going – he knew that he would be able to her back to Bella even with his eyes closed. When he was far away enough that she couldn't hear him anymore, he broke down. He couldn't cry, and nothing was coming out of his mouth. It was just his frustration coming out in the form of erratic breathing. To calm himself down, Paul punched a few trees around him He broke through the bark and in the process, he got his knuckles and hands bloodied. Bella would worry when she saw him, but the wounds wouldn't be there by the morning. After what seemed an eternity, but was only a few minutes, Paul felt safer to go back to Bella. He felt his stomach fall when he noticed that he had just ran away when she had opened up to him.

" _What an asshole._ " He thought to himself. " _She's going to freak out, you've done it, Paul._ "

But when he came back, Bella was just sitting there, looking at the place where he had disappeared into the forest. She was holding something in her hands, and the solemn look on her face told him that she wasn't upset.

"Paul?" Her soft voiced called for him, and he shyly walked back to where she was.

The guy lowered his head, embarrassed of his behavior. "I'm sorry… That was…"

"It's okay. I understand that it was a lot to handle." Bella said with a tender smile. Paul wanted to fall on his knees and kiss her right there, but he couldn't bring himself to. "I have something else." She put out her hands, in them the multiple things the leech had hidden under the board in her room. "Wanna burn these with me?"

"Bella – You…"

"It's okay, I want to." She assured him.

"Are you sure?" Paul was now close enough to sit in front of her. He took the things from her hands and looked at them incredulous. She had just told him that she jumped off a cliff to hear the leech's voice. "We don't have to do this right now."

"But we do." She replied. She took in a deep breath and reached for his hand. "I want us to start off clean, with whatever this is. As long as I keep hold on to these things, it's not going to be good for me, and it will eventually catch up with whatever we have. So yes, we have to do this right now. No protesting, no more babying Bella."

"Okay." Paul replied, in the same solemn tone that Bella had given him. She was being proactive, and it was one thing that Paul liked to see. "You sure you want to burn the tickets to Florida? Don't you want to go see your mom?"

"Not on the Cullen's money, no." Bella said. "I can go any other time."

"The pictures? The car stereo? What about the notes?" Paul raised an eyebrow, worried.

"Nothing, Paul." Bella said firmly. She snatched the things out of Paul's hands and thre them away, into the fire. "Clean slate."

"Bella, I don't…" Paul was speechless. Bella's warm hand posed itself on his cheek, brining back his attention to the brunette and out of the fire. "You okay?"

"I'm really trying, and I think I really am." Bella mumbled. She drew a half-smile on her face. "Thanks for today, Paul."

"No problem, Bella." Paul returned the half-smile and took Bella's hand between his, bringing it to his lips. The warm touch made Bella quiver and blush intensely.

"We should go to sleep." She said rather quickly, moving her hand away shyly.

"We should." Paul said, still with the smile on his face.


	18. Call on me (Part 1)

The light filtering through the sheer tent was what awoke Paul. A couple feet from him, Bella was still sleeping. Her chest rose and shrank slowly, and her hair was tangled around her face. They had shared a five people tent (Paul was way too big for a two people one), and Paul was happy that Bella felt comfortable enough to sleep in a bag next to him. After the previous night's conversation, he understood better the boundaries he had to respect when it came to her. Forcing himself onto her wasn't going to make things easier, and if anything, he wanted Bella to find a place where she was comfortable and let her be proactive about that kind of stuff. Paul cleared out his throat and when Bella didn't wake up, he shook her a bit. Damning the image of Bella pursing her sleep-swollen lips, Paul cleared out his voice again, giving her time to adjust to the situation.

"I'm going to freshen up by the river, you can change and meet me there. Just follow the trail down for a bit." Paul said without taking a breath. He quickly left the tent and went to the river.

Bella frowned at the rushed information but understood that Paul wanted to give her space and a little privacy. She smiled, glad that he didn't stick around or hoover over her while she slept. It was one of the changes she appreciated most after Edward, and she now understood the whole 'living-a-human-life' thing. It was less imposing when the person that sleeps next to you isn't watching through every second of the night.

Bella zipped the tent up and quickly changed from her previous day's outfit into a clean and fresh one. It was the begging of March already, but it was still a little cold outside, so Bella shivered for a bit even after being ready. Knowing that the river would be way too cold to do anything besides fishing and maybe getting her feet in, Bella put her hair up in hopes it wasn't too dirty already.

She found herself worrying about very mundane things on her way to river. Things that she had forgotten to care for when she was with Edward. It wasn't like she didn't shower or brushed her teeth when she dated the vampire, but it was less worrying for her if she didn't wear perfume because Edward was always talking about how intoxicating the smell of her blood was. Or how she had learned to underdress, given that Alice – under Edward's guide – always had something prepared.

But now she was fending on her own, and with Paul it was completely different. Maybe she did have a distinct smell to him, but it wasn't like he was too busy pining for her blood to notice she didn't wear perfume, or that he cared how she dressed at all. In fact, it was Bella who cared about that now. She noticed that when Paul visited her fully clothed, his clothes still screamed his name. They were always sporty, dark colored, and fitting in the right places. So, when she realized that after the Cullens left she had no style of her own, she had decided to get it back and somehow was worried that she wouldn't fit in with Paul.

It would be a lie to say that Bella didn't feel the pull – that little thing that goes two ways for an imprinted couple. She knew, from the moment Paul came to look for her that night, that they understood each other in a deep level, and that there was always something tugging her towards him. The thing that she couldn't get past was that she didn't want to repeat her story with Edward. Perfect mates destined to struggle with their love. So, when Paul admitted to her that they were matched by some supernatural bond, it was almost like her fears coming together. Ultimately, she understood that it wasn't a love as altruistic as Edward's, and that made her happy in a way, but she wasn't going to jump straight into it. She would have a say in it, and she would allow for Paul to also have a say. She wanted the imprint to be an opportunity to build a relationship, and not the relationship itself.

Deep in her thoughts, Bella had walked down the river and stood some feet away from Paul and was only brought back when Jared's voice brushed her ear.

"Take a picture, they last longer." Jared laughed when an "eek" came out Bella's mouth. "Nobody would believe that you've only interacted for a what? A week?."

Bella frowned, and Jared drew a big smirk on his face. Paul had heard Bella and was now coming to see her.

"I came to see if you guys need anything." Jared explained. "I'm probably going to pick things up from Emily's and come back super quickly. Sam is around, so you won't be uncovered."

"I would love some carbs, for me and Bella. I will try to keep fishing, but don't hesitate to bring granola bars and whatnot." Paul said.

"I think I can manage that." Jared said. "I will ask Em to pack a few sandwiches for Bella, she looks like she needs something more than river fish."

Bella scoffed, but then gave Jared a playful smile that told him that he was probably right. "I like anything, so as long as it's edible I'll be okay."

"I like this one." Jared joked. "Anything else guys?"

"Nah, thank you man." Paul said.

"Then, I'm on my way." Jared turned around and went into the denser part of the forest, where he probably took off his shorts and phased back into a wolf.

Bella smiled at the laid back and very normal interaction that she had with both guys. Her eyes met Paul's, and she noticed that although he was dry, his hair was a little wet. She shivered.

"How did you manage to go into the river like that?" Bella asked while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wolf heat." Paul smirked, and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Of course you would say that." She said. "This isn't fair. I wish Forks was warmer."

"Well, it's still pretty okay if you want to take your feet in." Paul took her hand and pulled her toward the edge of the river. "C'mon, take your shoes off."

Bella hesitated, but took them off soon enough. Paul was already wearing nothing but his cutoff shorts, having left his hoodie hanging from a tree branch. He sat down next to the bank of the river, and once Bella took of her shoes, he indicated for her to sit next to him.

"Here." He said tapping the moss that grew around.

When she sat down, their legs were touching, and the heat that emanated from Paul's skin was making the cold water more bearable.

"So, how did you sleep?" Paul asked, now looking into the water.

"Well, no complaints." Bella joked. "I now think you'd make a pretty good job as a radiator."

"Yeah?" Paul smiled at her, and then they both laughed. "I am just worried that you think this is happening too fast." He admitted.

"Well, it is." Bella said. "But it's not crazy fast, so I'm adjusting."

"How's the adjusting going, then?" Paul looked at her now.

"Well, it's better than expected. I must admit that it's easier to feel this connection… uhm, physically. I mean, not like  _that_  but... uh, you know. Like physically  _normal_  to be with you. Not that it was ever weird. I just mean that it feels comfortable in the good way, you know?"

Paul snorted out a laugh, managing to turn Bella into a tomato. "Yeah, I  _know_." He smirked at her and she playfully punched his shoulder. "It's something all imprints feel. I guess it's kind of a safety mechanism for survival or something like that. Sam says that it's extremely painful and uncomfortable when you're not in sync with the other, or when you're rejected, but I guess you and I are doing well enough."

"I know I asked this before, but how much worse is the imprint for you? Seriously." Bella asked.

"Look, it's not like it's worse or better… it's just more intense." Paul leaned back onto his elbows and let his head drop backwards. "I am meant to be with you, so I feel more compelled to care and look after you. Whatever feelings you have for me, I will reciprocate them, but it's easier for me to come to terms with them. I am okay with anything you want, so there's nothing you could do wrong in my eyes. Although, I will probably warn you right now that I will always secretly want you." The last part Paul said in a joking tone, and although Bella laughed, she knew that it wasn't completely untrue. "Don't worry, I  _might not_  stalk you." Paul joked but the serious tone of the conversation had caught up with them. "Bella, I'm sorry. It freaked you out, didn't it?"

"No, no, no." Paul was now sitting up, and Bella put a gentle hand on his arm to calm him down. "I was thinking about you. I mean, about this. Paul… I don't want you to be bound to me."

"I mean, it's a little too late, don't you think?" A half-smile appeared on Paul's face, and unconsciously he took Bella's hand. "It's not like I can look at anyone after the imprint."

"Well, I know that's out of the table, I'm not dumb. I just mean that you should have a say in all this too." Bella frowned. "I want you to be comfortable and not forced to be comfortable."

"How?" Paul interlocked his fingers with Bella's, and the brunette reciprocated the gesture by gently squeezing his fingers.

"Well, what if I said I want to be free to have other relationships? What would you say?" Bella asked.

"Well, I guess I might have to be okay with it." Paul shrugged, and Bella saw easily through his clenched jaw.

"No, Paul. What would you want? What would you  _actually_  feel?"

"Well, it's not like I would love it, or want it, but it's your decision."

"You see? That's what I am talking about. This is a two-way street and you're settling for way too little. I want to hear when something is wrong, or when you don't like something. Just because a magical bond insists that you should do something doesn't mean that I want you to do it as well. I am capable of compromising and giving you some freedom of choice, too. So, tell me, what do you want out of all of this?"

Bella was now looking straight at him, no hesitation. She looked solemn and that surprised Paul for a second. She was shy most of the times, but when she had something in her mind it was hard not to see how strong Bella's conviction was. He thought for a second before replying.

"I want us to be together." He said, serious. Bella's heart skipped a beat, and before she could say anything, Paul continued. "I want us to date. Not like Jared or Sam, because I know they think everything's gonna turn out well because of the imprint, that there's no collateral to the choices they make for their partners. I want you to be sure of every step. I know how far I am willing to go already, but it's hard knowing how far you want to go. I don't want to stop you from going to college, or doing stuff on your own, or just imposing myself into your life. I don't want to become my dad or push you the same way my mom was pushed. I mean, she wasn't ready to be a mother and look how that turned out. Of course, before we even get that far I want us to be normal teenagers. I am still a brat and there's so much I have to work on, so it's not like I can promise to get married right now. Not that you would say yes, anyway." A chuckle escaped his lips. "I want us to go to your school dances, to your grad, and for you to hopefully come to mine. I want to take you out for a movie. Also, it would be great if we had more time to talk about things, trivial or important. Like, what do you want to do with your life? Do you like Pepsi or Coke? Do you even plan on having a family? What's your favorite food? Of course, I would love to kill that vampire that's after you first. Minor stuff. I am in no rush, and neither should you be."

A moment passed in silence while Bella looked at their interlocked fingers and caressed the back of his hand with the one she had free. It was weird how comforting it was for her to hear Paul say those things. Months ago, Bella would've skipped all those normal things to be with Edward, but now, as Paul described them, she finally understood what types of regrets Rosalie often spoke about.

"I don't know where I want to go from here." Bella said. "I'll admit that I can't put my mind into dating mode right now… but what we have is good and I like the progression of it. I feel like it's easy to talk, and to get to know each other. And I agree. There's time and no need to rush things as they are right now. If we end up dating, I guess it wouldn't be too bad." She stuck her tongue out and Paul laughed out loud. "I would love to do the normal stuff, too. I don't think I've ever done the normal, proper dating thing."

"Was it so different to date Edward?" Paul and Bella had fallen into a nice conversation rhythm. She was still caressing the back of his hand, and he was now softly moving his feet in the water.

"Well, I was always in awe of his family and him. They've had decades to perfect these vampire lifestyles, and they zone out so much that I was always the odd one out. And Edward would rarely take me to the movies or something. I just never enjoyed riding a car with him, so he mostly carried me places and that implied not going where humans could spot him." Bella frowned, and thought to herself that she was really just living Edward's life most of the time, longing to finally become part of it. "It was more like being star struck than having fun." She concluded out loud.

"You didn't like driving with him?" Paul questioned, genuinely puzzled.

"They drive like maniacs." Bella answered opening her eyes wide. "He hated my truck, too. Said it was too slow." She scoffed, offended. "Can you believe that? My truck is vintage, so yes, it needs gentle handling, but it's not  _slow_."

"Your truck is a beauty, if I must say." Paul said, smiling. Bella retuned a proud smile at him.

"Thanks."

Paul was about to ask something else, but the rustling behind him warned him of another person, and soon from behind the trees Jared made himself visible.

"Hey, lovebirds!" He was carrying two backpacks on his shoulders. "I come bearing gifts. I rushed here because I knew you wouldn't catch anything, Paul."

Paul frowned as he felt Bella's hand slipping away. The girl stood up and went to meet Jared, offering to help carry a nag, to which the first promptly refused.

"I have it, don't worry, girl." Jared smirked. "There's some fruit, muffins, sandwiches, and stuff that should last until dinner. Emily packed a couple bottles with drinks, too." Jared let stuff on the ground, pretty close to where Paul was sitting. "Oh, and Emily said that she always forgets to pack stuff like this, and that you should have some just in case." The guy took a small bag out of one of the backpacks and handed it to Bella.

It was a teal makeup bag, and inside Bella found some face wipes, dry shampoo, and sunscreen. While she had packed sunscreen herself, the wipes and the dry shampoo were more like a gift sent from heaven.

"Thank Emily for me when you see her later." Bella said, happy that someone was thinking of her.

"Will do." Jared said.

"Let's eat you guys." Paul said in between munching on a muffin. He had already taking down one before inviting the other two.

"Ugh, can't you wait to stuff your face?" Jared mocked him. "I am starving, though. That race to Emily's wasn't helpful. I would recommend digging in before all the lunch stuff is gone, Bella." Jared plummeted onto the floor and took a couple muffins that soon disappeared down his throat.

"Yes, yes." She laughed while sitting in between the two guys and taking a sandwich to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Had posted this to FF.net and thought that posting in AO3 might be a good idea. Not revised or edited yet, sorry about that.


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